


We are the Phantom thieves

by jay_the_timber_wolf



Series: We are the Phantom Thieves verse [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Redemption, Akechi Goro and Kurusu Akira are childhood friend, Akechi Goro and Kurusu Akira are damaged boys, Bisexual Kurusu Akira, Blood and Violence, Child Abuse, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Persona 5 Spoilers, Violence, and dark thoguhts, damaged boys working together, there is a lot of violence, very dark thoguhts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 22:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 111,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20379118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_the_timber_wolf/pseuds/jay_the_timber_wolf
Summary: Akira and Goro are childhood friends, when Akira is forced to move to Tokyo for his probation he is glad to be closer to his friend. However his first day of school goes off the rails fast. When he awakens his friend is quick to recruit him for his revenge on a certain someone that has screwed them both over. But first to deal with that gym teacher...





	1. The very beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Mhm, ideas. Just read.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Goro meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting the stage

_Akira's POV_

I've always known there was something wrong with my life, it confused me then I saw other kids not flinch when a adult touched them. It confused me when I did something wrong and the teachers didn't do what my parents did. It just over all confused me. Sure I'm eight years old and yet I didn't know why the other kids could always be so happy.

I was sitting on a park bench clutching my arm, it hurt a lot. My dad had slammed it against the counter and now it wouldn't stop hurting. I jerked when a voice spoke directed at me. "What happened to your arm?" I looked up and saw a brown haired boy with wine-red eyes who was probably a year older than me. I looked down at the ground. "Daddy slammed it against the counter and it wouldn't stop hurting now." I mumbled. "Your dad did that?" _Why does he sound so surprised?_ "Mhm, he does it all the time. Why are you surprised by that?" I asked.

The boy shook his head and reached out, I immediately jerked back not wanting to get hurt while my arm was hurting. "I just want to see your arm, let me see it please?" I frowned at that word but I let him take it. He frowned upon seeing the bend in my arm where dad hit it against the counter. "I think your arm is broken. We'll need to go to the hospital." I immediately shook my head vigorously. "Can't afford hospital." I said. "I know a clinic close to here that can set your arm. It's free too." He pulled me to my feet and I immediately went limp, after a bit he dragged me to the clinic where a nice woman wrapped my arm in a black thing. "It'll keep your arm straight while the bones heal. Don't take it off until you're sure that your arm is no longer hurting okay?" I nodded and the same boy who lead me there lead me out.

After a while he lead me to the park again. "I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Goro Akechi. Nice to meet you." He said. I fiddled with the black thing on my arm. "I'm Akira.... Akira Kurusu..." I mumbled. Before then I heard my father shout my name and I froze for a second before recovering. "I-I have to go. Bye!" I then rushed off, not wanting to get punished for not responding to my father's shout. My dad didn't say anything about the thing on my arm, he just ignored it like he usually does.

My mom didn't mention it either. I thought I might never see Goro again because I doubt he would remember me. But I was proven wrong when I went to the park a few days later and he ran up to me and told me that he was waiting for me to come back to the park. We ended up becoming friends and after a while I finally figured out what was wrong with my family life. "Goro... Do you think my parents abuse me?" I asked. "I met you after your dad broke your arm, and not to mention that you come here covered in bruises all the time. Of course I think they abuse you!" Goro said. I rubbed my arm that was covered in bruises that Goro glared at.

"When we're older I want to get out of this town with you. Your parents can't get you then." He said. "But where would we go? I can't hide forever." I muttered. "Maybe out of the country, it'll be harder to get you if you're outside Japan." Goro said. "But that's a long ways away. How long will I be able to survive this until I just can't take it anymore?" I asked. "Then we'll run away! I'm in foster care, no one but you will care when I'm gone. And I'm taking you with me after all." Goro said. "But my parents..." I muttered. "I doubt they'll care if they beat you up so much and tell you how much they hate you." He pointed out.

I rubbed my arm and looked at Goro. "When we're older, like when I'm eighteen that way they can't get me even if they wanted to." I insisted. "That works for me. Let's plan for that until then. We want to be prepared." Goro said. I nodded and let a soft smile on my face. "It's good to know that at least someone cares for me." I muttered. Goro smiled and hugged me. "Of course I care! We've been broken down because of shitty adults, we have to stick together. No one else will stand up for us so the best we can do is do it ourselves." He said.

I patted his arm but then a thought accrued to me. "What does 'shitty' mean?" "Forget that word, slip of the tongue." "But what does it mean?" "You're still too innocent to understand my dear Akira, for now that is a good thing." "Stop dodging my question! What does it mean!?" "Shush darling, you are a precious baby and I intend to protect your innocence for as long as I can." "Goro just tell me what it means before I smack you!" Goro laughed at that but he had to raise his arms to protect against my blows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More next time.


	2. In Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get the idea

_Akira's POV_

** _"Damn brat, I'll sue!"_ **

**Dt Goro:** you sure it was Shido?

**Akira: **I've heard his voice enough to recognize it, it was him. But it was dark so I didn't see him clearly, but I'm sure it was him.

**Dt Goro: **how hard do you shove him?

**Akira:** Hard enough, that's all I'm gonna say.

**Dt Goro: **i'm so proud of you! you stood up to an adult instead of cowering.

**Akira:** Can you not phrase it like that please?

**Dt Goro:** but this is a huge development in your self confidence! i'm so proud of you Akira!

**Akira:** Why are you always like this when I do something like this? I got put on probation and I'm moving to Tokyo for a whole year! Does that worry you?

**Dt Goro:** you're right, this is our chance!

**Akira:** Oh jeez, I shouldn't have mentioned it.

**Dt Goro:** Akira you can finally get out of there! all we have to do is make sure you don't go back to that dead beat town when you're probation is over! you can move in with me for a while and then we can both kiss Tokyo goodbye! hell maybe even Japan in general.

**Akira: **Okay, fine. But we deal with Shido first. Btw when can you take me into the Meta verse again? I still have to awaken my persona.

**Dt Goro:** first we get you settled into Tokyo, then we work on the image you will project to everyone else. then the Meta verse.

**Akira:** Ugh! So much work! Why can't we just go there today? Not like my new care taker will care if I'm late.

**Dt Goro:** we're working on your image today, Meta verse comes after your first day. 

**Akira:** Fine, I guess that'll work.

**Dt Goro:** great, i think you're train is pulling in. see you soon.

**Akira:** See you soon Goro.

When the train doors opened I immediately got out off the train and located Goro. He had dressed so that he wouldn't be recognized by anyone as the well known 'Detective Prince' and I approached him. We immediately embraced and Goro lead me out of the station. "I know of a diner you'll just love." He said. I let Goro lead me there and we sat down near the back and ordered.

"Okay, let's see how well your mask is now." Goro said leaning forward to look at me. With ease I slipped on a calm mask that had taken years to perfect, Goro immediately started clapping happily. "It's perfect! When you arrive at the new school you should project an air of mystery and calm." Goro said. "How much do you want to bet that some shitty adult will leak my record to the school?" I asked leaning towards Goro. "It's a 50/50 chance Akira, but I don't doubt it might happen." He said. 

I smiled at Goro again before slipping on the calm mask again so he could add some corrections if he wanted. Goro tapped his chin for a little bit before he reached into his bag and pulled out a box. From the box he produced a pair of thick black glasses and placed them on my face. "There, that adds to the look. It's harder to read your eyes when they're hidden behind glasses." He said. I smiled at Goro and adjusted the glasses. "Thanks Goro, we'll get through this for sure." I said placing my hand on his.

"I know, maybe this will help you with your self confidence." He said with a smile. "Abuse runs deep after all. You can't make it go away in one day." I said. Eventually I had to leave for my care takers home. Sojiro seemed like a nice man but I trusted no one besides Goro. I was grateful for the attic space to use as a room, even though it bothered me that there wasn't any door to speak of which meant Sojiro could come and go as he pleased. Sojiro made it pretty clear to me that he wanted basically nothing to do with me which I was fine with. Disinterested is better than abusive in my books.

At the very least I would be alone at night so I didn't worry too much about my new care taker's near hostility towards me. I waited until Sojiro went home before I changed into my sleepwear, I looked at my scared up arms before I pulled on my long sleeved shirt. It was sometimes hard to look at my arms, but now it was easier since I was away from that house and that town. I sat down on the bed I was given, finding it much more comfortable than the simple blanket and pillow on the ground in my old room, and like always called Goro.

_"You going to bed Akira?"_ "Yeah, I think I'll be fine here but my caretaker could honestly care less about me." I said. _"Give him some time, I'm sure he'll warm up to you after a while. He just doesn't know you very well yet."_ He said. I sighed but smiled. "You're right, good night GoGo." I said. _"Good night Aki."_ I hung up the phone with a smile on my face before I laid do to sleep, pulling the blanket around me as I curled up. For the first time in a while I fell asleep easily.

_My eyes opened to see the inside of a cell. I heard footsteps so I looked over and saw two little girls, I stood up and walked over to the door of the cell. I looked out and was surprised to see a long nosed man sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. Goro has told me about this room and the man sitting at the desk. "Igor...?" The word slipped out of my mouth. Igor chuckled. "There's our Trickster! You should awaken your powers soon, don't worry."_

I snapped awake and immediately grabbed for my phone, desperate to message Goro about what happened. 

**Akira:** I saw Igor!

**Dt Goro:** you went to the velvet room?! you're not pulling my leg are you?

**Akira:** I'm not! I really saw it, Igor called me something weird though. He referred to me as 'Trickster' for some reason.

**Dt Goro:** i don't doubt you anymore, when ever i ask him about you he calls you that to me as well. what did he say?

**Akira:** That my powers will awaken soon, I think we're really close to dealing with Shido now. I'll awaken soon!

**Dt Goro:** this is great Aki! we can really do this!

**Akira:** I can't wait to see my persona and my meta verse outfit!

"So you're up." My head jerked up and I saw Sojiro standing just beyond the stairs. I looked away from him on reflex. "Come on, we're going to your new school. You have to introduce yourself to the teachers there." I sighed softly and sent Goro a message about what was going on. He said that it was alright and to message him when I was out of the school. So I got dressed, tucked my phone away in my pocket, and headed down to follow Sojiro to the car and school.

_Sojiro's POV_

Akira was a quiet kid so far. He actually looked away from my eyes when speaking to me which concerned me quite a bit. Akira didn't look at his teacher or the principal in the face, he shuffled his feet a bit while he stood around, being reminded that he was again on thin ice. The boy almost acted like that of a abuse victim but I had no idea what his parents were like or how he reacted to certain things. While on the way back to the café I snapped at him a bit and the boy flinched.

Once back at the café Akira rushed up the stairs to the attic. I peeked up to see what was going on with him to only see a blanket nailed up over the entrance. This was definitely odd behavior for a boy like Akira, I should probably have someone look into his parents if this type of behavior keeps popping up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .... So as you can see Sojiro is clearly picking up on Akira's unusual behavior even though he's been around the kid for only a day. We'll see what happens.


	3. The first day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school for Akira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while. Hope you enjoy.  
Edit: 10/22/19  
Added Justice confidant

_Akira's POV_

The first thing I did when I got back to the café was nail a blanket over the entrance of my attic room to give myself some peace of mind. Then I pulled out my phone and began texting Goro.

**Akira:** Why is everyone being a dick to me?! All I did was try to help someone, it wasn't my fault that the guy happened to be Shido!

**Dt Goro:** school not treating you well already?

**Akira:** You have no idea. I can't even count how many times they've warned me that if I cause problems then I'm expelled.

**Dt Goro:** try not to get expelled right now by the way, i can't help you if you get thrown into jail.

**Akira:** I know that! I just don't like how everyone thinks I'm a delinquent.

**Dt Goro:** well we don't want anyone bothering you, maybe that will be a good thing.

**Dt Goro:** how's your care taker so far?

**Akira:** Grumpy, he's rather grumpy but he's not like my parents so far.

**Dt Goro:** that's good to hear. remember that tomorrow we're heading for the metaverse.

**Akira:** How could I forget? It's the only thing I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

**Dt Goro:** but tomorrow is also the first day of school, so pay attention to your teachers please and don't spend all your time texting me.

**Akira: **I can learn more from you then those dick heads. Can I at least text while on the way to school?

**Dt Goro:** fine, but if something happens let me know.

**Akira:** You got it. Honestly what's the worst that could happen?

**Dt Goro:** accidentally triggering the Meta Nav. that's the worst thing that could happen.

**Akira:** Right... I have the app now so that can happen.

**Dt Goro:** that's right, you have to be careful. don't keep it open if there is a chance that it will activate and pull you into the metaverse.

**Akira:** How would that happen anyways?

**Dt Goro:** it can listen to what you say. if you say a name and it's a hit it'll put it in and start looking for the other keywords. that's why you shouldn't keep it open, otherwise you might get pulled into the metaverse.

**Akira:** Noted.

**Dt Goro:** it's getting late, you should go to bed soon. you have to get up early remember.

I looked at the time and saw that Goro was right, it was getting pretty late. I needed to head to bed soon.

**Akira:**You're right, good night GoGo.

**Dt Goro:** good night Aki.

Smiling, I changed into my sleepwear and slipped into bed. Unsure of what's to come I fell asleep.

* * *

**Akira:** I already hate the subways here. They're so crowded! Everyone is in my space and I hate it.

**Dt Goro:** you get use to it after a while, this will help you with your social anxiety perhaps.

**Akira:** If I get shit at school I'm considering at least punching one person. At least then I can give them something real to fear.

**Dt Goro:** if you do that you'll for sure get in trouble.

**Akira:** I know but you know if someone pushes hard enough then I will push back with double the force.

**Dt Goro:** we really need to work on your anger issues, you have a lot of misplaced rage bottled up in you.

**Akira:** You have more than I do though.

**Dt Goro:** true but that's because you've managed to find a safe way to let some of it out at least.

**Akira:** You mean by training in the gym? I guess that does help at points.

**Dt Goro: **are you off the train yet?

**Akira:** Yeah but it's pouring rain so I've taken shelter under an awning for now. Think I'll wait until the rain lessens up to get the rest of the way there.

**Dt Goro:** you forgot your umbrella?

**Akira:** Yep, rather stupid of me huh?

**Dt Goro:** you didn't know that it would rain. you're fine.

I jerked when I saw someone join me under the awning. _Welp, there goes my temporary safe spot._ I looked at them and saw them pull the hood of they're jacket down and I saw long blonde hair. The girl standing near me was cute, she saw me looking at her but instead of giving me venom she _smiled_ at me.

**Akira:** GoGo someone smiled at me!

**Dt Goro:** at least someone is treating my best friend nicely. now focus on school, i have to go now sadly.

**Akira:** Okay, talk to you later.

I looked up when a car stopped near me and the girl. The window rolled down and I saw a well built man inside. "Good morning, need a ride to school? You're gonna be late." The question was directed to girl it seemed. "Um sure, thank you." The girl said politely. She approached the car and the man looked at me, I didn't like how he looked at the girl. "What about you?" He asked. I immediately shook my head, I knew nothing about this person and I would never get into a car with someone I didn't know.

They drove away and quite suddenly a blonde boy appeared, he huffed and muttered to himself. "Screw that pervy teacher!" He hissed. "Pervy... Teacher?" I muttered softly. I have always been a bit nosey and acted pretty innocent towards people I liked or felt like I could trust. The blonde whipped towards me and stalked over, I immediately backed up. "What do you want? You gonna rat me out to Kamoshida?" He growled. I tried not to immediately duck my head and run away. "What do you mean?" I asked softly. He seemed confused by my confusion.

"In that car just now it was Kamoshida." _Ah, so I at least know who he's talking about._ I thought to myself. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is, king of the castle? Don't you agree?" He said kicking the ground. I frowned at him. "I... don't know what you mean." I said softly looking at my feet. "Huh?" I glanced up at him. "You don't know Kamoshida, are you for real? You're from Shujin aren't you?" I shuffled my feet. "I... I just transferred to Shujin academy." I mumbled.

"Oh, then no wonder you don't know him." The vulgar boy said. He patted my arm and looked towards the school. "The rain ain't too bad, we should hurry before we're late." He said. I walked next to him but quickly noticed that he was limping, my guess was that it was an injury like a break but it has since healed. I walked closer to him so that in case he fell I would be able to catch him. And he did, at the same time a light headed feeling washed over me. A feeling that I was all too familiar with. "Ugh, my head... Damnit, I wanna go home." The vulgar boy said.

I was tempted to agree but he pushed forward so I followed, I knew that the Meta Nav wasn't open while we were talking, at least I didn't open it so why have we been pulled into the Metaverse? I followed him until we got to where the school should have been but instead there was a castle. "What's going on, where's the school? We should check it out." The vulgar boy said. "No! W-we shouldn't!" He looked at me in surprise. "L-let's just come back the way we came. Maybe we made a wrong turn somewhere." I suggested.

He seemed to consider it for a moment. "You can do that but I'm going to figure out what's going on." He said and began walking inside the castle. "Wait, no! It's dangerous in there!" I rushed after him, not wanting to leave him alone in a Palace when he didn't even know where he was. God I would give anything to have Goro here with me, he's the one with a persona, at least he would be able to protect this poor soul who I accidentally pulled into the Metaverse with me. I just hope I can drag him out of here before we get hurt.

* * *

_**Goro:** Aki I need to talk to you. something happened and i'm half convinced that i'm going insane._

_That was how it all started for me. Goro sent me a text message, wanting to meet with me about something that happened to him today. I walked over to my friend who looked like he hadn't slept in a while. "What happened GoGo? You look like you haven't slept in a while." I mumbled unable to work up the courage to speak louder than a mumble. "Aki you really need to speak up sometimes. Anyways let me explain what happened."_

_Goro then proceed to explain how a weird app appeared on his phone a few days ago and that no matter how many times he deleted it it always came back. The app was red, black, and very creepy. He explained that one day it picked up his conversation and a name he said got a 'hit' and he then continued to enter the other words needed to make the app work. He was pulled into a seemingly alternative reality and got shot, during this he gained some type of unusual power. The more Goro talked the more worried I became._

_"A-are you sure you're doing alright GoGo? I-I not trying to say you're crazy or something but are you sure you didn't dream it?" I asked twirling a lock of my hair around my finger. Goro sighed. "I knew you might say something like that." He said holding his phone. "GoGo?" "You're going to feel really light headed Aki." My hands shot to my head as I was overwhelmed with a light headed feeling that made me stumble into Goro. I blinked away the dizzy feeling and looked up to see the twisting tunnels of a subway. "Wh-where are we?" I asked._

_"This place is called Mementos, that's all I know about it." I looked up at my friend only to be greeted by a toothy helmet. I yelped and fell backwards, I could fully see my friend now who was decked out in a black and blue outfit I have never seen him wear before. "W-what's with that outfit!?" I asked. Goro sighed. "Yeah, my clothes changed when I awoke the power I told you about. Now this is how I look when I enter this world." He said. The visor hiding my friend's face dissolved into blue flames and a figure appeared behind him, a black and white figure that was tall and intimidating._

_"This is Loki, he's apparently my persona but I don't know what that means just yet." Goro said. I gaped at my best friend, unsure what to think about this. Suddenly I was hit with a wave of nausea, causing me to double over and vomit. "Akira?!" Goro caught me before I could collapse. **"You fool. He doesn't have even a weak will of rebellion, no way he can summon a persona. And yet you bring him here? What were you hoping for?"** Goro whipped around to look at Loki. "Shut up! He can do it, it might just take some time for him to be able to strengthen his will enough to be able to." He hissed._

_I groaned and gripped at my chest, it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. **"You must get him out of here. His body can't handle all this shock that it's going through now."** Loki warned. When I opened my eyes again we where back in the real world. My heart was settling down now, I looked up at Goro who was gazing at me with worry written on his face. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Better... what happened there?" I asked. "I... I guess that the shock of being suddenly pulled into Mementos and the air there caused your body to go into a state of shock." He said._

_"But you're doing better now which is good. I should have been more cautious about this." He said. "No, I'm fine now. So, talk to me about what you have learned about that place." I insisted._

_I am thou, thou art I_

_Thou has acquired a new vow_

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity_

_With the birth of the **Justice** Persona, _ _ I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

** _[Justice Rank 3]_ **

* * *

"Fuck, shit we're so dead!" "You keep saying that but what exactly is going on?!" "If I could explain it right now I would but we don't have the luxury of that! We have to get out of here!" I snapped pushing the vulgar boy ahead of me as we ran, chasing us were shadows. The dumb ass had thought it wise to go inside the castle and now after the being dragged to the dungeons we escaped the cell we where put in but we didn't go unnoticed.

I kept dragging the boy around but soon we couldn't run forever. "Shit!" We screeched to a halt at a dead end. "Shit shit shit! We're done for!" I whimpered. "Hey! Blonde, Frizzy hair!" I turned to see a cat/monster thing in one of the cells. "MONSTER CAT!" I screech. "I'm not a cat! I am Morgana and if you want to get out of here alive then you'll let me out of this cell!" It snapped. "Are you crazy!" The vulgar boy said. I was already unlocking the cell. "Dude!" "We need help!" I said grabbing Morgana and practically throwing them in front of us. Morgana didn't hesitate one bit. "Come, Zorro!" An armor class figure appeared behind them, I recognized it immediately as a persona.

Hope sprung up in my heart seeing now that we had one persona user on our side. But that hope quickly faded as the fight went on, it wasn't a fair fight and Morgana was heavily out numbered. _What are we going to do? Morgana can't win this fight with how things are. I can't summon a persona, god I wish Goro was here._ I thought biting my lip. Morgana was smacked across the room and I screamed. _We're dead, we're so dead!_ I began shaking as the shadows approached. Then a voice like velvet spoke in my head.

**'Giving up so easily? What would Goro tell you right now? Wouldn't he scold you for not having confidence in yourself? You probably know who I am, now show the strength of will to ascertain all on thin own even if it means crawling out of the depths of hell!'** I growled feeling rage boil up in me. I grabbed ahold of a two by four and charged at the shadows, whacking them with it. **'You have quite the fiery temper. Are you finally ready to take a stand?'** I clutched the two by four. "Yes, I'm ready for it. Come to me!" I yelled.** 'There we go, the contract can finally be forged.'** The pain caused me to drop the two by four.

I clutched my head doing my best to not scream, letting out small groans. **'I am thou, thou art I. May fear never rule over you ever again.'** I finally screamed, stomping my foot on the ground before ripping off the mask. After the fire died down I didn't hesitate to rush forward and smash a pumpkin shadow down, quickly killing it. **"I am the pillager of Twilight, Arsene!"** I looked back at Arsene and smiled, I had one bad ass looking persona. I once again stomped my foot. "Let's crush them underfoot Arsene! Eihi!" I yell. Arsene sent out a ball of black energy that destroyed the other pumpkin shadow.

Morgana was staring at me in surprise. "You can summon a persona?! I thought you didn't have the power to!" I scooped up the cat/monster and grabbed the vulgar boy. "No time for questions we have to get out of here!" I snapped. I then start to book it for the nearest thing that looks like it leads to an exit. I find it easier to run for the my life when I know that I could now defend myself.

After leaving the Metaverse we found ourselves four hours late for school so of course we got chewed out by the teachers who found us. Kamoshida was one of them. **'Think that Palace belongs to him?'** Arsene asked. _'Well we were talking about him before we were pulled into it.'_ I told him before making my way to the faculty office.

Kawakami wasn't happy with me being late but I just fed her the excuse that I had gotten lost. When she introduced me to the class I saw the same girl that I saw this morning. I ended up sitting behind her when I heard her whisper 'lies' under her breath. I didn't say anything to that and just sat down at my seat. After making sure no one was looking I pulled out my phone.

**Akira:** I have good and bad news my friend, and after the bad news I've got a little more bad news.

**Dt Goro:** my god what happened? are you still able to meet at the park?

**Akira:** Yeah, but we will need to talk. After all I'll be screwed when I get back to Leblanc.

**Dt Goro:** .... is the metaverse involved?

**Akira:** Yep, I'll explain more when we meet up.

**Dt Goro:** you better otherwise i might just strangle you.

**Akira:** I know.

_Goro's POV_

I was rather concerned when Akira messaged me during school, he never did that without good reason after I tell him to pay attention. I was waiting in the park we agreed to meet in when I saw him walking up to me looking rather tired. The scene reminded me a lot of when I first awakened and turned right to my best friend of help. "Akira what happened?" I immediately asked.

Akira merely wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder. "I'll tell you once we're in Mementos okay?" I huffed out a sigh but pulled out my phone while my other arm wrapped around Akira. Once in Mementos I realized rather quickly that Akira's clothes were different, before I could question him he pulled away from me and spun around. "Don't I look dashing?" He asked striking a pose.

Akira was dressed up like a Victorian era gentleman thief, knee leight black coat, grey vest, black pants that hugged his body, brown boots that gave him a little height, red gloves covering his hands, all toped off with the white bird-like mask with black designs around the eyes. Once I was done processing what was in front of me I began to celebrate. "You awaken! I can't believe it! I'm so proud of you!" I crushed Akira in a hug.

"You awaken your will of rebellion! We might be able to start our revenge plans sooner than I thought!" I exclaimed. But then I remembered what Akira mentioned in his text. "Wait you said there was bad news." I put Akira down and he rubbed his arm. "Yeah, I got pulled into a Palace. And someone else was pulled in with me." He mumbled. The Palace part worried me but so did the fact another person was also pulled in. "Who was it?" I asked. Akira sighed.

"I don't really know his name, he just so happened to be walking nearby when he noticed something that made him mad. But what he said also gave me the keywords. All I know right now is that he isn't the most popular guy in school." He said. "Has he at least been treating you nicely if you have talked with him?" I asked with a frown. "Yeah, he's been nice so far." Akira reassured.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "If he knows about the Metaverse then we have to do something about him. But what I'm not sure." I admitted. I watched in amazement as a devilish grin slowly formed on Akira's face. "I might have an idea." He said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger? Yep, figure out what happens in the companion piece
> 
> .


	4. Welcome to the Metaverse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Goro take Ryuji into the Metaverse and get some answers thanks to Morgana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Ryuji is much smarter than everyone gives him credit for, so his observation skills are shown in this chapter.  
Edit 10/22/19  
Added Chariot confidant

_Ryuji's POV_

It has been two days since me and the new transfer student went into that weird castle. I've tried finding it on my own but I've had no luck in locating it. I actually ran into the odd transfer student the other day. I dropped a few of my papers when we bumped into each other which he helped me collect. I've been told his name is Akira Kurusu and so far he has a reputation of being quiet and mysterious but he also has a criminal record.

I sighed getting ready to leave for my classroom after lunch when Ann approached me. "Hey, Kurusu-kun told me to give this to you. He said that you dropped it the other day." She said handing me a black notebook. It had my name on it sure but I was fairly sure that I didn't drop it because I didn't own a black notebook. On a hunch I open it and notice a note written on the first page.

_If you want to know more about the caste then meet me in the alley we pasted through on the way that day. Me and my friend will be waiting there._

_\- Akira Kurusu_

"Is something wrong Ryuji?" I look up at Ann. "No, I'll have to thank him when I see him again." I tell her. I spend the rest of the day thinking about the note, after two days why does Kurusu want to meet? Did he need some time to process what happened? No, he seemed to realize what was going on the moment we got to that strange castle. Maybe he was thinking about what to do? He also mentioned that a friend of his would be there so maybe it took a bit to convince his friend to help.

Either way I decided that I needed to know what the deal was with that castle so I decided to take my chances with him. Even if I was worried that the guy would pull a knife on me and stab me. So after school let out I walked to the alley he mentioned and saw him already there with another boy. And if I wasn't mistaken that boy was none other than Goro Akechi, the high school detective.

I walked towards them making sure that I kept a look out for any kind of weapons just in case. Kurusu saw me and smiled. "I was hoping you'd show up Sakamoto. Glad you got my note." He said. "You said you'd explain that castle, so can we get to that explanation already?" I asked not in the mood for pleasantries. I however had to jump back when Akechi swiped at me and snapped.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to Akira that way! If I ever hear you speak like that to him again I'll have your head!" I held up my hands in surrender not wanting to anger the detective again. "Sorry, I'm just tired of this whole confusing situation I'm in right now. I just want answers." I said. Kurusu reached forward and pulled Akechi back. "It's okay Goro, he didn't mean any harm." The two had a short staring contest before Akechi relaxed and returned to leaning against the wall.

"We'll explain what we can but even we don't know that much. This is stuff we've managed to figure out on our own, no one told us about what we saw that day." Kurusu said looking at me. "As long as you can somewhat explain it that's fine." I said. Kurusu smiled slightly and pushed some of his hair back. "The castle that we went to was in another reality then our own. We have taken to calling it 'the Metaverse'. The castle is what we call a 'Palace', a place where one's distorted desires take a physical form." He said.

"Who's Palace is it? Someone must rule over and acts as the king of that place." I asked. Akechi smirked. "That is a very good question Sakamoto. Well in order to understand that you need to understand how we enter the Metaverse which is using this app." He showed me his phone pointing to an red and black eye app. "We call it the Meta Nav, in order to enter a Palace we need to know the keywords. The keywords are three things. The name of the Palace owner, where the Palace is, and what it is." He said putting up his phone.

I thought about that and then I realized. While we were going to school I remember saying what seemed like the keywords. "So, that Palace is Kamoshida's? I remember talking about him before we got pulled in." I asked. "You're rather observant Sakamoto. That's right, the Palace belongs to no other then Suguru Kamoshida." Akechi said. "So is there a way to deal with Kamoshida by using the Palace?" I asked. "Another good question." The two looked at each other before looking back at me.

"We only know of one way to effect the Palace and it's not pretty." Akechi said. "What is it?" I asked. "Well in the Palace will be Kamoshida's shadow. And the way we can destroy the Palace is by killing the shadow, but by doing that we also kill Kamoshida." Kurusu explained. That made my heart sink. "So the only way to take care of Kamoshida is to basically murder him? There's got to be another way." I said. "If there is we don't know it. Like I said we didn't have anyone explain it to us." Akechi said.

Then I remembered something. "Why don't we ask Morgana? You know, the cat/monster we found in the castle? Maybe he'll be able to answer some of the questions we have." I asked. The two looked at each other. "He did seem rather knowledgeable of the Metaverse. But will he even help us if we ask?" Kurusu said twirling his hair around his finger. "It's worth a shot isn't it?" Akechi said. "I think we'll find him if we go back to the Palace." I said.

Kurusu sighed but nodded. "Alright, let's go then." He said. I once again felt light headed but when I looked up I saw the castle. I ran towards the entrance but stopped a few feet away from it and looked back at the two. Kurusu had on the same magician like get up he had on last time, meanwhile Akechi had on a prince like get up, the mask on his face bird like. "What's with the get up?" I asked. Both of them shrugged, I guess that they didn't have an answer for that. 

That's when Morgana popped up. "Why did you come back? You barely managed to escape last time." He said. "We need answers, those two most of all. So we came looking for you since you seem so knowledgeable about this place." I said. Morgana looked surprised and he looked away for a bit before nodding. "I guess I can explain some things about the Metaverse." He said.

"Great, first what is with they're outfits." I said. "They're called 'Phantom wear', they're a means of protection in a Palace. Without it they would be effected by the ruler's cognition of them. They take the appearance of what they think a rebel of society looks like." Morgana explained. "So a prince and a magician?" I asked looking at them. "I'm _not_ a magician! I'm a gentleman thief, at least that's what I think a rebel is." Kurusu said crossing his arms.

"Prince? I guess that is one way to look at it." Akechi said examining his clothes. "Well I guess everyone does have a different view of things like that. So this place is built on cognition right? Brought on by some kind of distorted desire?" I asked. "That's right, if the desire is distorted enough and left unchecked for long enough then a Palace will take form." Morgana confirmed. "And what about Personas?" Akechi asked. "They are the true inner self, they are different than shadows however because you can call upon them. They are how you can fight back in the Metaverse." Morgana said.

"Is there a way to crumble a Palace without killing the shadow?" Kurusu asked. Morgana looked at them wide eyed. "Why would you even consider doing that?! But to answer your question, yes, there is." He said. "How?" Akechi asked. Morgana shook his head. "It's not safe to talk about that here. Let's go to your world and talk there." He said. "Not yet." I said. They all looked at me in surprise. "Why? What exactly do you hope to achieve?" Akechi asked.

"I want to look around more, if this is truly the inside of Kamoshida's head then I want to confirm some things. There have been rumors that he uses physical punishment and there might be evidence of that here." I explained. I then looked at Morgana. "Do you know where I could find evidence of something like that?" I asked him. "Yeah, there is. I believe that the training hall is the place you're looking for." He said.

"Can you take me there?" I asked. Once he nodded I looked at Kurusu and Akechi. "I hate to ask this of you guys but can you help? I can't fight in there." I said. The two looked at each other and began whispering to each other, after a few minutes of they're private conversation they looked at me. "We'll help, you'll owe us one though." Kurusu said. I beamed at them. "Thanks a bunch!" I said. So we entered the castle and Morgana lead the way to the training hall. What we found there shocked us all. Kurusu looked ready to throw up at what he was seeing and Akechi was cursing Kamoshida's very name.

I was sickened by what I saw but ready to throw down with Kamoshida all the same. "I can't believe this is how he sees the volleyball team! He'll pay for what he's done!" I yelled. We tried to sneak back out but we were stopped by shadows blocking our way. Kurusu and Akechi immediately put themselves in-between me and the shadows. But they're attention was grabbed immediately by a laugh, I looked over and saw what must have been Kamoshida's shadow. 

Unholy yellow eyes stared at us, a crown sat on his head, and he was only wearing a royal coat and bright pink speedo. "You have got to be kidding me." I groaned. Akechi was too busy covering Kurusu's eyes to comment. Kurusu himself seemed rather confused but didn't stop his friend from trying to shield him. Morgana raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment. Shadow Kamoshida started saying something about how he was surprised that I would even dare come here and how he thought we were all garbage.

Eventually Akechi snapped. "If someone here is garbage it's you! You're a bastard who deserves to be taken down!" He snapped. That's when the shadows changed and began they're attack on the three who could fight. But they didn't have a chance against the overwhelming numbers and soon they were slammed to the ground. Shadow Kamoshida started talking and the more he talked the more my rage grew. "Shut up! You keep going on and on like your the best thing! It makes me sick! Stop looking down at me with that stupid smile on your face!" I scream at him.

**'You made me wait quite a while. You're name has been disgraced already so why not host the flag and raise havoc? He may have stolen your speed but with me you can fly once again. Let the skull of rebellion be your flag from now on!' **I actually don't know if I screamed or not but I do notice the mask on my face which I rip off. I chuckle as I look at the enemy, Captain Kidd floating right behind me. I crack my knuckles and glance at my companions. "I'd say it's time to even out this fight yeah Captain Kidd? Zio!" I yell. The room darken and after a moment lightning fills the air killing quite a few of the shadows.

Kurusu and Akechi immediately get up and summon they're own personas. "Take them down Arsene!" "Finish them off Robin Hood!" They finished the job and then we all make a mad dash for the exit. Once outside I take a moment to try and catch my breath and give my bad leg a rest. After I catch my breath I look over my clothes, and as far as rebels go it did match how I imagine one to look like. "Not going to complain but I look cool." I said tapping my mask which seemed to be a skull. "You have this biker kinda look to ya." Kurusu said. I shrug and look to the exit. "Whatever, let's get out of here now. Morgana still has to explain how we can deal with Kamoshida without killing him." I said. With that we leave the Metaverse.

_Akira's POV_

When we entered the real world Morgana became a regular cat so I picked him up and we left to find a place to talk with him in private. We found a park and I set the cat on a bench. "So what can we do against Kamoshida?" Goro asked. "The Palace, like any structure, has a core. This is the distorted desires, it is referred to as the Treasure. Is we steal the Treasure then the Palace will crumble." He said. "What good will that do us?" I ask.

"By removing the Treasure we'll essentially be causing him to have a change of heart." He said scratching his ear. "The crimes he committed however will remain even if we remove the desires, he wouldn't be able to bare the weight of his crimes and confess them himself!" He chirped. Me and Goro look at each other. "Really?! He'll confess?!" Sakamoto asked. Me and Goro looked at each other, this was something we would have to talk about later. 

"Yes, but there is a small chance that he'll have a mental shutdown. He'll definitely have one if we kill the shadow however." Morgana said. Sakamoto looked put off by this. "Can we think about it before we go through with that? I don't know about those two but I don't want to kill the guy." He said. Morgana nodded and leaped off the bench. "I'll find you when the time is right. Good bye for now." He said before dashing off. Sakamoto then looked at us.

"I don't know much about you guys but I actually like hanging out with you two." He said with a smile. "You can call me Ryuji, I'll see you at school Akira. See you later Akechi." He said with a wave and walked off.

_I am thou, thou art I_

_Thou has acquired a new vow_

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity_

_With the birth of the **Chariot** Persona, _ _ I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

Goro smiled softly and looked at me. "Looks like you actually have a friend at school now." He said before he began to walk. Naturally I followed him to his apartment. Once inside I flopped down on the couch. 

"So now we know more about the Metaverse. I wonder about this Treasure thing that Morgana mentioned to us. What does it look like inside and outside the Metaverse?" I asked out loud. "Chances are that it'll appear as whatever caused the desires. Now that we know this what do you think about our original plan? Should we try and change his heart instead of causing a mental shutdown?" Goro asked grabbing a cup. "Honestly I don't know. The asshole ruined my life and gave you hell. I didn't doubt the plan before because we thought it was the only option but now that we know more we know that's not true." I said.

I took the cup of coffee from Goro and took a large gulp from it. "Yeah, we need to really think this over. But I do have to praise you for the brilliant plan you came up with." Goro said rubbing my hair. I purred softly and nuzzled his hand. "I mean leading him to the Metaverse and hoping that whatever happened would lead him to awaken was rather bold. I never took you for an secretly evil genius." He said grinning from ear to ear. I smirked at him. "I just took a risk, one that payed off. The most complex part was getting his name and attention." I said.

"And you pulled it off without trouble. I'm so proud of you for that." He said. "Yeah, now we have to wait for Ryuji to say that he's willing to go. But we should maybe check out the castle before and see if we can locate this Treasure." I said. "We can always take a peek into that. But for now go home and get some rest, you deserve it." Goro said. I nodded at this and left for Leblanc, Sojiro was waiting there for me but he only said that he would be closing up now and left me be. I was glad for the peace and quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next time, bye!


	5. Pushed over the edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamoshida did something unforgivable and the boys can not let this continue, it's time to head into the Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite hating Shiho's fate I will not be changing it here for story reasons so sorry. :(
> 
> But I will be doing some experimenting with Mishima's character so look forward to that.

_Akira's POV_

The volleyball rally was so boring, I was yawning as I sat next to Ryuji. "Pretty boring huh?" Ryuji asked stretching. "Ugh, I want to get the heck out of here. This is basically just a show to stroke Kamoshida's ego." I sighed letting out another yawn. Ryuji nodded as we both looked on, I pulled out my phone and began to text Goro since I had nothing better to do.

**Akira:** This volleyball rally is basically just so Kamoshida can show off. I can't wait to get out of here.

**Dt Goro:** at least Ryuji is there to suffer with you.

**Akira:** Yeah, he's a pretty nice guy. Pretty sure he hates Kamoshida for whatever reason, he keeps glaring at the guy.

**Dt Goro:** what do you know about him?

**Akira:** Former track star, not very good grades but surprisingly observant, walks with a slight limp but we both noticed that. Other than that nothing.

**Dt Goro:** wait a second, he was on the track team?

**Akira:** Yeah, right up until his leg was broken. The track team has also since been disbanded.

**Dt Goro:** wanna bet that Kamoshida had something to do with it? both with his leg and the track team.

**Akira;** That would explain Ryuji's hostility towards Kamoshida.

**Dt Goro:** feel like asking him?

**Akira:** Nah, I'll let him tell me about it when he feels like talking about it.

**Dt Goro:** good idea, you really are so considerate Aki.

**Akira:** That's one of my best qualities.

**Dt Goro:** that is very true. but now pay attention, you don't want to be caught on your phone.

I tucked my phone away at the suggestion and turned back to the game, just in time to see a boy go down with a volleyball to the face. I shot up right away and rushed to him, I recognized him as a boy in my class. I backed up when Kamoshida walked up, he bent down to inspect the boy before turning to me. "Take him to the nurse's office." He said. I nodded softly and tenderly dragged him out of the gym, I didn't want to hurt him so I held him gently just in case he regained consciousness in my arms.

I had made it half way to the office when I felt am elbow slam into my shoulder, on reflex I yelped, dropped him, and dashed to the nearest corner to hide. After a few moments of me cowering behind the corner I heard the boy talk. "Kurusu?" I peeked out to look at him and saw him looking at me curiously. "M-Mr. Kamoshida told me to take you to the nurse's office. That's all I was doing." I said softly. His face softened a bit. "Thanks Kurusu but I'm fine. I don't need to go." He said. I walked out of hiding farther and held my shoulder.

"Are you sure? I'm not going to force you to go but I just want to make sure. It looked like that volleyball hit you pretty hard." I said. He looked surprised by my care. "I might have a headache now but I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about you Kurusu, are you alright? I know that I hit you and you are holding your shoulder." He said standing up. "Oh, no it's fine. My shoulder just hurts a little." I tell him, moving my hand so he could see that nothing was wrong. He stared for a few minutes before sighing. "Good, I'm glad you are alright Kurusu-kun." He said. I withdrew a bit, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Please.... just call me Akira, I don't like my surname." I mumbled. I thought for a moment that he would refuse and keep calling me by my surname when...

"Okay, honestly I can understand not liking being called a certain thing. I'm Yuuki Mishima by the way, I prefer to be called Mishima to be honest." He said. I look at Mishima in what I know is surprise and he just gives me a soft smile. "T-thank you Mishima. I really appreciate it." I mumble, smiling softly. "No problem Akira." He then chuckles. "You know... you're not as bad as the rumors make you out to be. You're actually quite nice." He says. I know I blush so I look away. After a bit Mishima insisted that I go back to the gym as to not raise suspicion that I decided to skip the rest of the game so I went back.

While I was gone Ryuji decided that he would try interrogating some of the volleyball players to figure out if Kamoshida was indeed abusing them. No one talked as I would have guessed, you don't tell someone you're being abused when the adult abusing you has an iron fist like Kamoshida does. "Seriously, why is no one speaking up?" Ryuji groaned leaning against the wall, I was standing nearby. "A victim can't talk about the abuse when the person abusing them is nearby and still has control over them. That's pretty obvious." I say twisting a lock of hair around my finger. 

"But if they don't speak up then it'll just go on! If they don't tell then how will people know?" Ryuji said with a low growl. "You just gotta look for the signs of an abuse victim. Even if you ask them directly if they're being abused they wouldn't tell you because they're afraid of punishment. If they do reach out you just have to do what you can for them. Which would most likely be getting them out of the situation they're in and away from they're abuser. Then they might not be afraid to speak up." I tell him. Ryuji raised an eyebrow at that.

"Sounds like you have personal experience by the way you're talking about it." He said. I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it. "Still thinking about taking up Morgana's offer? To steal the Treasure that is." I said. Ryuji sighed softly. "For now I'm trying to think of a way to take him down without risk of him shutting down." He said. "Well Goro and I are thinking about doing it. But until something pushes us into action we're holding out for a better way." I tell him.

"That's probably for the best, we'll talk more later." Ryuji said standing straight. We nodded to each other and with that we parted and left the school. However on my way home I overheard one of my fellow classmates arguing over the phone, it sounded like with Kamoshida. I noticed that it was the girl I met on my first day, her name I believe was Ann Takamaki. I cautiously approached her after he hung up and once she noticed me and shot up I jumped back as well.

"Where you eavesdropping on me!?" She asked looking angry. "N-not on propose! I-I just happened to be heading home when I heard you arguing with who I guess was Kamoshida by the sound of it." I whimpered immediately backpedaling to be away from her in fear of her lashing out. Takamaki froze when she saw my reaction, she then slowly reached out to me only making me back up more. "I'm sorry for yelling at you Kurusu-kun. Please... Don't be afraid of me." She pleaded.

I peeked at her from behind my bangs, she looked like she hated seeing me even remotely afraid of her for any reason. "... I'm sorry for butting in but I grew concerned when I heard you arguing with him. You also mentioned Suzie-san, I met her once and she seems nice. I just want to know what's going on, if you're okay with talking about it that is." I mumbled twisting my hair around my fingers. Takamaki looked around the area before looking at me. "Let's talk somewhere else." She said reaching for my hand. When I recoiled she didn't try to grab me again. We ended up sitting down at BBB, she talked to me about how Kamoshida was sexualy harrasing her.

He threatened Suzie's position on the team if she didn't sleep with him and it was becoming harder for her to come up with excuses for not going through with it. I listened silently, letting her vent her frustrations to me. "Heh, sorry for troubling you with this kind of thing Kurusu-kun. It's kinda strange how easy it is to talk to you." She said softly. "Akira." She looked at me. "What?" I smiled gently. "Just call me Akira, I don't like my surname and I don't really care for the whole kun thing. So just Akira is fine." I tell her. I then look away as I begin to twirl my hair again.

"To be honest Takamaki you're rather brave for telling me about this. Most people who are suffering from the same thing don't ever think to tell someone about what they're going through and just keep it bottled up. I guess they're just hoping that it'll stop at some point and they can go about their lives like they did before. But predators like Kamoshida wouldn't stop no matter how long you say no, the only way to stop them is to do something about it." I say. Takamaki looked at me curiously.

"Why does it sound like you have personal experience with such a thing?" She asked softly. I looked away from her. "I'd rather not talk about it." I mumble. After a bit she nodded and stands up. "Thanks for letting me talk to you about this, I'll figure out a way to deal with Kamoshida." She said before she walked off. I headed for the train station pulling out my phone to text Goro.

**Aki:** Okay so I might have accidentally solved our Kamoshida problem, that is if the girl I talked to does anything that gets him removed from the school board.

**Aki:** Oh, you changed my nick, which means I can do the same right?

**Dt Goro:** yeah, go head. who did you talk to?

_~**Aki** changed **Dt Goro**'s chatname to **Dt GoGo**~_

**Aki:** Girl from my class, name's Ann Takamaki. Kamoshida has apparently been sexually harassing her.

**Dt GoGo:** really? dang she must be really brave to tell you about it.

**Aki:** Yeah, apparently she finds me easy to talk to.

**Dt GoGo:** i don't blame her, you have a very calming presence, it's like i can spill every dark secret i have to you and you wouldn't mind, much less tell anyone.

**Aki:** Well yeah, if you tell me such a thing I'm taking it to the freakin grave, no one will know what you told me. Even if you killed someone.

**Dt GoGo:** and that is why you are such a good friend Aki. you would take anyone's darkest secret to the grave without telling a soul.

**Aki:** Anyways, if Takamaki does do something that gets Kamoshida out of our lives when we wouldn't have to do anything about him after all.

**Dt GoGo:** that will definitely save us some time if we don't have to deal with him.

**Aki:** Yeah but I wouldn't get my hopes up, Kamoshida rules over Shujin with an iron fist so it might be not enough.

**Dt GoGo:** well there is still a small chance that something will be done.

**Aki:** Yeah but not big enough to get our hopes up.

**Dt GoGo:** true, you at Leblanc yet?

**Aki:** Literally just walked in the door.

**Dt GoGo:** alright, talk to you tomorrow okay?

**Aki:** Yup, goodnight.

**Dt GoGo:** goodnight.

* * *

Class was droning on and on, I was starting to consider texting Goro at this point when another student stood up. "Hey, what's she doing on the roof?!" _Huh? The roof? The only reason someone would go to the roof is because-_ the next student confirmed my train of thought and my stomach dropped. "Oh my god, she's going to jump!" Mishima shot up. "Suzie!" "Shiho?!" Him and Takamaki rushed out of the classroom, I quickly followed. Sure enough Shiho Suzie was on the edge of the roof. My heart stopped when I saw her fall the next moment. "S-Suzie..." I gasped. I followed Takamaki to the courtyard but Mishima stopped me from approaching Suzie, the pairamatics had loaded her on a stretcher by the time I got there.

My heart was pounding, I watched Suzie whisper something to Ann before she lost consciousness, I thought for sure her lips formed Kamoshida's name. Mishima dragged me away from the scene and once we were alone he turned to me with tears in his eyes. "Akira, I have to confess to you what happened." I looked at him. "What do you mean Mishima? What happened?" I asked. Mishima looked at the ground and began to speak. "I'm only telling you this because I think you understand what it's like to be in this kind of situation. Kamoshida would call out anyone if they made a mistake, even the smallest ones. He'd natinate someone, call them to the PE faculty office, and hit them. He was really angry last night so it must have been... worse than usual." He said.

My eyes widened. "You mean... that he...." I couldn't say it, no way those words would slip past my lips. Mishima nodded, knowing what I meant. Tears began to run down my cheeks. "That.... That bastard! H-he wouldn't get away with it this time!" I snarled. A determined look entered Mishima's eyes. "I agree, I'm done being his lap dog. He's made me do things that I didn't want to. Like leaking your record, you're a truly nice person Akira, you shouldn't have your life ruined because he doesn't like you." He said. My lip curled up in a snarl as I take out my phone. "My best friend is Goro Akechi, if someone can find evidence of Kamoshida's crimes it's him. But if we don't we have another way of dealing with him." I hiss.

**Aki:** Kamoshida needs to be taken out, think you can throw him in jail or are we using the Palace?

**Dt GoGo:** what happened?

**Aki:** Shiho Suzie has been raped by Kamoshida and she just attempted suicide.

**Dt GoGo: **?!

**Dt GoGo:** did it just happen?! did you see it?!

**Aki:** Unfortunately yes, I watched as she jumped off the roof. She's on her way to the hospital.

**Dt GoGo:** are you okay?

**Aki:** I will be once we deal with this bastard.

**Dt GoGo:** i'm on my way to the school, find a way to get him out of the office so that i search it.

**Aki:** Got it.

I tucked my phone away and looked back at Mishima. "When Goro gets here we need to find a way to get him out of the office so he can search it." I tell him. Mishima nodded and looked over to see Ryuji pop up. "That's a good idea, let me help." He insisted. I thought about it before nodding. "Good, we need all the help we can get." I said. Ryuji grinned widely at that as we went out near the front gates to wait for Goro to arrive. He quickly came on his bike and hid it before coming towards us. "So what do you plan to do?" He asked. "I have a plan, don't worry." I tell him.

_Goro's POV_

I'm starting to think that Akira is smarter than he's let on. He, Mishima, and Ryuji stood in front of the PE faulty office, as soon as I gave them a nod to let them know that I was ready Ryuji began banging on the door. "Kamoshida! Come out of there! We know what you did to Suzie!" He screeched. "I'm going to tell the police about everything you've done you sick bastard! I'm not your lap dog anymore!" Mishima screeched.

"You think I don't know what you did asshole?! I heard everything! I even have a recording of what you did to Suzie! I'm not afraid to turn it over to the police!" Akira screamed. There was the sound of a chair being knocked over and the moment the door opened the three took off in three different directions. Kamoshida burst out of the office and immediately gives chase of Akira, naturally with him claiming he had a recording of his crimes he would want to catch him first. Of course this recording didn't exist, it was simply a way to get Kamoshida out of his office.

A clever plot that Akira cooked up during the time I took to arrive at Shujin. While Kamoshida chased after him, Ryuji, and Mishima I could easily sneak into the faculty office and have a look around. I snooped around the office but I found nothing that lead anywhere. But I wasn't giving up so I planted a few cleverly hidden bugs and left.

**Dt GoGo:** done, sadly i didn't find anything. but i planted a few bugs just in case they might get something.

**Aki:** That's too bad, I managed to escape Kamoshida by locking myself in the bathroom. I don't know if he's left though so you might have to come get me.

**Aki: **This man is psychotic, please save me :(

**Dt GoGo:** on my way.

I tucked my phone away and headed for the bathroom and made sure to search the area for Kamoshida, he wasn't near or in the bathroom. Confirming that Akira was safe I knocked on the stall door. "Kamoshida's gone, it's safe." I tell him. Akira came out of the stall and I was glad to see he was unhurt. "The bastard was ready to break down the door if it meant getting to me. He threatened to expel me if I don't hand over the recording but I threatened that I would have Mishima post the recording on the school website if he expelled me." He said.

"And he left you be after that?" I asked. "Yeah, clearly he doesn't want his reputation damaged." He said. "What about Mishima?" "Long gone by the time he caught up to me. He's on a train home now and Ryuji is hiding somewhere waiting for the signal to meet up." He explained. "And you figured all this out before I got here? How can you claim to be stupid when you came up with such a brilliant plan in, like, ten minutes?" I asked. Akira blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not that smart... but I'll take your praise when I get it." He said. I smile and lead him outside where Ryuji was waiting in the alley. 

Once he saw Akira he ran up and hugged him. "Dude that was amazing! You came up with that all on your own? How did you know that Kamoshida would come out with the recording claim?" He asked. "Well I just had to observe Kamoshida's behavior, I figured out that he was all about his ego and reputation. So I figured that if I claim to have something that would damage that reputation then he would do anything in his power to make sure I didn't release it." He said twirling a lock of his hair around his finger. "Dude you are a literal evil genius." Ryuji praised. Akira blushed looking away. "Come on guys you're embarrassing me." He mumbled. I decided to take the attention off Akira at that moment.

"Okay so admittedly I got nothing from my search of the PE faulty office. The question now is what we do now. Do we wait for my bugs to get something or do we try to use the Palace and have him have a chance of heart?" I asked. Ryuji looked at the sky for a few minutes before looking at us. "We need to stop him, no matter what we have to do in order to do so. So if you two are going in then I am too." He said. Morgana appeared then and sat down on an air vent near Akira. "I'm going to help you, but of course you will have to help me as well." He said. I thought about it and looked at the other two. "I'm fine with that deal. What do you two say?" I asked. "I'm cool with it." Ryuji said.

Akira thought about it, twirling a lock of hair around his finger like he does when he's thinking or nervous. "I think that's a fair deal, okay let's do it." He said stuffing his hands into his pockets. With that we teleport into the Metaverse, only to find that we had dragged someone else in with us. A blonde haired girl with blue eyes. "W-what is this place?!" She asked. "Takamaki?! What are you doing here?" Ryuji asked. _Takamaki? As in the girl Akira talked to yesterday?_ "That voice? Sakamoto? And... Akira? And who's that?! I don't know how I got here!" She said. I groaned and looked at Akira, we were both thinking the same thing. Akira looked at Takamaki.

"We'll explain another time, for now you need to go. This place isn't safe for you." He said. Me and Akira grabbed Takamaki by the arms and force her out the way we came. We then returned to Ryuji and Morgana. "Did you guys really have to do that?" He asked. "Not everyone has the potential to summon a persona, it's safer for Takamaki if we keep her out of this." I tell him. "He has a point, it's safer this way." Morgana said. We approached the gates and stood there looking at the castle. "Before we get in we need code names, we can't just shout our names in a Palace, who knows what kind of effect it will have." Morgana said. Ryuji looked at him but nodded.

"Alright, so who goes first?" He asked clearly meaning who gets they're code name first. Morgana looks at Akira making it clear who was first. "I've been thinking about it and I think that yours should be 'Midnight Shade'." He said. Akira blinked and frowned. "I refuse to be called something like 'Midnight Shade', it sounds childish!" Akira looks at Ryuji. "Can you think of something better?" He asked. Ryuji closed his eyes and thought. "Nightingale?" He suggested unsure. Akira's nose crinkled. "What's with the darkness theme? Seriously." He then looked at me. "Anything?" I thought about it, how Akira could pull basically anything off if he set his mind to it. How easily he pulled on a mask and then replaced it with another, he was really a wild card.

Kinda like a... "Joker." Akira brightened at that. "Joker... I love it! My code name is Joker!" He declares. I chuckle a bit seeing his sometimes childlike excitement appear even if for a moment. "What about me?" I ask. "Prince? You are dressed like one." Morgana suggests. "No way, I refuse to be called something like that." I deny. "Vigilante?" Ryuji tries. "No." Akira is really thinking about it. "What about 'Crow'?" I really think about it. "Yeah, I like it. I'm Crow." I say proudly. We then turn to Ryuji. "Do you have a idea of what you want your code name to be?" Akira asked, always the thoughtful one. Ryuji tapped his foot for a bit.

"Maybe something to do with my mask?" He said with a shrug. "How about 'Skull'?" I suggested. Ryuji smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds cool. Skull's my codename." He said. We then all turn to Morgana and all at once say what we were thinking. "Mona." He immediately crossed his arms. "Why 'Mona'? It sounds girly." He said. "It's easy to remember." I say. "I've kinda already been calling you 'Monamona' so why not Mona?" Ryuji says. "Well if someone does find out about the Metaverse somehow, even if I doubt it will happen, if they hear our codenames they'll think they're looking for three guys and a girl not four guys. It'll throw them off the scent for a time at least." Akira says.

"I like Joker's reasoning better." Morgana sighs. Akira sticks his tongue out at us and I huff. "Stop acting like you won some argument, Mona just likes your evil genius thinking better than our simple thinking." I say. "Sounds like you're a little bit jealous, huh Crow?" Akira asks clasping his hands behind his back and leaning his body forward. "Not jealous Joker, if anything I'm rather proud of you." I smirk crossing my arms. "Can you two stop whatever it is you're doing? We still need to head in and hopefully find the Treasure." Morgana says. "Right, Kamoshida can not be allowed to continue like this." Akira says, straightening up. "Yes, let us go." I agree. With that we turn towards the castle and head inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, just for the record I will do my best to post a new chapter at least once every month or so. See ya next time, bye!


	6. A Thorny Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably something I should have mentioned earlier but in this story the mental shutdowns aren't happening. The reason for this is because with Akira by his side Goro didn't feel like he needed to get close to Shido to take him out. So in other words Goro has never caused a mental shutdown on purpose.
> 
> Futaba's mom does die however by mental shutdown, I will talk about the details later.

_Akira's POV_

I easily slid from one hiding place to the next, keeping to the shadows to hide from the guards. "How's it looking Joker?" Goro asked from nearby. "All clear Crow, even Skull wouldn't have a problem with this." I report. "Can you two please not act like I'm not right here? And Mona can you please back me up against these two?" Ryuji groaned. The three joined me in running across the empty hall and ducked into a safe room. "Come on Skull, we're just screwing with you. No harm done." I said chuckling.

Ryuji sighed. "It's really odd that you guys adjusted to the code names so quickly." He said. "We're used to calling each other different names. Also, language Joker!" Goro said. "Hey you were saying a lot worse stuff then me when we were young so don't pull that language crap on me Crow." I pointed out. Goro huffed and began tapping his foot. "What even is your relationship..." Morgana mumbled to himself. Me and Goro were about to keep arguing about the language we use when we heard a commotion coming from nearby.

"We should probably got check that out." He said with a frown on his face. "I'll go look and report back, I'm the sneakiest one here after all." I tell him. "Be careful Joker." He tells me as I slip out the door and into the hall. Following the noise I peeked at what was going on, but when I saw the cause of the commotion I ran back to the safe room. "... You.... are not going to believe who got caught by the guards." I gasped. "What do you mean Joker?" Ryuji asked. "Takamaki, she's been captured by shadows!" I tell them. "What!? But we took her out of the Metaverse! How could she have gotten caught?!" Goro asked.

"She must have came back in on her own after we forced her out. Which means she probably has the Meta Nav." I say still catching my breath. Goro groaned, running a hand down his face. "Fuck." He hissed. Goro sighed and hung his head. "Let's go fucking save her then, I don't think any of us would sleep well at night if something was to happen to her." He said. "We kinda did get her into this mess after all." I say shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "Let's go, show us where they took her." Ryuji sighed. 

I lead them to the room I saw them take Takamaki into and pushed open the door. We entered and Goro immediately entered protective mode and covered my eyes when he saw what was inside. I, of course, expected this from him because he has always insisted I'm a precious child that needs to be protected at all costs. But now was not the time because I heard that bastard's shadow in here and him near Takamaki was not good. I rushed forward, with the others trailing behind me. "Takamaki!" I cried the moment I knew she saw me. 

"What the hell is with this!?" She asked from her place on that weird cross they had her strapped to. "Ugh, you navies again? How many times are you gonna come back?" Shadow Kamoshida asked. "We wouldn't even be here if you weren't a rapist asshole!" I snapped. I then moved towards Takamaki. But then the guards moved they're swords. "Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot!" The shadow snapped. My rage flared up but I didn't move, I didn't want Takamaki to get hurt because of me so I slowly took a step back. 

The shadow's face made me just want to run up there and punch him but I wasn't going to risk Takamaki's life because of my sometimes uncontrollable anger. "Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show." Shadow Kamoshida said. "No, don't!" Takamaki begged. Shadow Kamoshida looked at her with an expression that I would rather not be directed at her. "Maybe I'll start with her clothes." _Can this man be any more perverted?_ "You're such a Perv!" Cognitive Takamaki giggled. _Can someone please kill that thing? It's nothing like the real Takamaki and even listening to it is pissing me off._ I thought, my lip curled into a snarl. 

I saw Takamaki to start and give in and I knew that I couldn't stand back and do nothing. _This is going to be a huge gamble on my part but to hell with it, I might as well go all in._ "Don't let him win! He hurt Shiho and made her jump off the roof! Don't just let him get away with it!" I yell. Takamaki looks at me with a look of realization on her face, but then it turned to determination. "You're right, letting this piece of shit toy with me? What was I thinking?" She said. "It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-" "Shut up." Takamaki hissed. "I've had enough of this. You pissed me off you son of a bitch!" She shouted.

The awakening was surprising, but a pleasant one. Takamaki broke free and took a guard's sword, swiftly killing her Cognitive self before turning to Shadow Kamoshida. "You know, I'm not some toy you can play with you smug bag." She said standing up straight. "Bitch." Shadow Kamoshida spat. "You took everything from Shiho, you destroyed her." She planted the sword into the ground, Morgana hopped up to stand on the hilt while we took to standing by her side. "Now it's your turn. I'll rob you of everything!" She shouted pointing at the shadow.

"Enough of your insolence!" A guard shadow said as it transformed. "No, I've had enough of you. No one can stop me now! Let's go Carmen!" She declared. We all took up battle positions and glared at the demon sitting on a toilet. "How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love you selfish lass!" It snarled. "That pervert just sees women as sexual outlets so don't give me that 'love' bullshit!" Takamaki said as the mask reappeared on her face and a whip appeared in her hands. She immediately used the whip to smack the demon while Morgana prepared a spell. I saw a fairy looking shadow out of the corner of my eye and immediately focused on it.

"Tear them apart Arsene!" I yelled focusing a dark attack on it. The fairy was barely fazed so I took out my gun and began firing at it, that knocked it down. I looked back and saw Takamaki and Goro facing down the toilet demon, I needed to lead a hand for a bit it seemed. The Eiha plowed through the demon and gave Goro an opening to fire some light at it. "Focus on protecting yourself Akira! We're facing multiple opponents." He warned, finding no use in using my code name at the time I guess. I nodded and turned back to the fairy which had managed to get up while I was helping my allies. 

I dodged the lightning she threw before charging at her a burying my dagger deep into her chest, she dissolved into ash after that. I checked on Ryuji and Morgana who had just taken out they're shadow so I joined Goro and Takamaki, unloading a whole clip into the demon. It didn't last long after Ryuji and Morgana joined the fray. After Takamaki collapsed me and Goro grabbed her and started to run. "Let's go! Before more guards show up!" Goro yelled. With that we exited the Metaverse

_Ann's POV_

"Which one you want?" Ryuji asked me, holding two bottles. "Whichever's not carbonated." I said. "Um, they both are." Ryuji said. Before I could decide which to grab a bottle of green tea was thrown at me, I managed to catch it and saw Akechi smiling holding his own. Akira plucked one of the sodas out of Ryuji's hand. "I'll take this one. I don't really care for tea." He said. "How are you feeling Takamaki-san? Have you calmed down?" Akechi asked. "Yeah, thanks for explaining it to me on the way here. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself." I said. 

"I didn't believe it until Goro showed it to me. At first I thought he might be having hallucinations or something because of sleep deprivation." Akira said with a chuckle. "You only thought that because I had bags under my eyes. You got really startled when you saw Robin Hood for the first time though." Akechi said. Akira's bag moved so he shifted it, Morgana poked his head out. "So, will you join us in taking Kamoshida's desires? We wouldn't force you to." He said. "Of course I'll join! I'll make him pay for what he did to Shiho." I hissed.

"...So she did tell you what happened to her... I thought I saw her say his name." Akira said softly. Akechi patted him on the shoulder as the boy twirled a lock of hair around his finger. "I can't communicate with you from inside a Palace so I'll stay in this world. Which means someone will have to care for me." Morgana said. Akira looked at us like he was asking for one of us to take the cat. "No way I can at my place." Ryuji said. "Me neither, my parents might not be home often but they wouldn't like a cat." I said. Akira turned to look at Akechi. "Aki, you know that my landlord would never let me have a cat running the apartment." He said.

Akira hissed gently shutting his eyes. "I'm not even sure if my guardian will approve, but I can see what I can do." He groaned. "Great, let's all exchange contact info. Oh, and is it okay to call you by your given name Akechi? You can all call me Ann by the way." I said. "I don't mind, so yes. You can call me Goro." He said patting Akira on the head. We all exchanged info before parting ways. When I got home I noticed a new group chat.

_~** Akira** created **The Thieves**~_

_~ **Akira** added **Goro** to **The Thieves**~_

_~ **Akira** added **Ryuji** to **The Thieves**~_

_~ **Akira** added** Ann** to **The Thieves**~_

_~ **Akira **changed **Ryuji's** chat name to **Skull**~_

_~ **Akira **changed **Goro'****s** chat name to **Crow**~_

_~ **Akira **changed **Ann'****s** chat name to **???**~_

_~ **Akira **changed his chat name to **Joker**~_

**???:** wat's with the weird names???

**Joker:** codenames, according to Mona using our real names in a Palace could have an effect so we use codenames to be safe.

**???:** and 'm a bunch of ? because i don't have one right?

**Joker:** yup, we'll talk about your codename tomorrow okay?

**Crow:** Oh, by the way how did it go with Sojiro?

**Skull:** who's Sojiro?

**Joker:** my temp guardian. i'm his ward until i'm off pro.

**Skull:** ah, right.

**Joker:** it went pretty alright. he's letting Mona stay which is pretty good. he didn't ever yell at me when he learned i brought a cat home.

**Skull:** y did u expect him to tell at u?

**Joker:** ......

**Crow:** I'm just going to come out and say it so sorry Joker.

**Joker:** Crow don't you dare.

**Crow:** Sorry, his parents have been abusing him since he was little.

**Skull:** !!!

**???:** no wonder u understood the whole abuse thing...

**Joker:** CROW! i was going to tell them myself ya know!

**Crow:** And when would that have been?

**Joker:** ...

**Crow:** By your silence I'm gonna guess it would have been near the end of your probation.

**Joker:** i wouldn't have waited THAT long. maybe after a month or two...

**Skull:** still dude it's effed up that ur parents would do that to u. I could never imagine my mom not loving me.

**Joker:** my mom hates my guts and wishes she never gave birth to me. that's at least what she's told me. at this point i think every adult i meet just hates me for whatever reason.

**Skull:** that is so not true, what about Sojiro?

**Joker:** i'm sure that at this point in time he doesn't like me, can't say anything about the future though.

**Skull:** still, not every adult will hate you for no reason after meeting you.

**Joker:** if you're so sure Skull then prove me wrong, introduce me to an adult that wouldn't immediately hate me.

**Skull:** when are you next free?

**Crow:** Your immediate response worries me, I'm coming along for this.

**Joker:** maybe after we take care of Kamoshida we'll have some time for something like that.

**Joker: **though i do wonder who you're going to introduce me to.

**Skull:** my mom, duh. she's love you trust me.

**Joker:** i doubt that.

**Skull:** stop being so pessimistic dude. try to think positive.

**Joker:** because of all the shit i've gone through i find that somewhat hard to do. i can try and it'll work sometimes.

**Crow:** Language Joker.

**Joker:** you said shit when you were like 9, don't think i forgot about that. 

**Crow:** I told you that it was a slip of the tongue, I didn't mean to say it.

**Joker:** you still did.

**Skull:** y was crow cussing at age 9?

**Crow:** I don't have any family, my mom died when I was young and I never knew my dad who abandoned my mom the moment he learned she was pregnant.

**Crow:** Because of this I've spent most of my life in foster care. Most of the homes.... Weren't very nice. Let's just say that I learned very quickly how cruel the world can be.

**Skull:** wow, now I feel bad for u guys.

**Crow:** It wasn't always bad. Hell, I probably wouldn't have ever met Akira if I wasn't in foster care so I guess some good things came out of it.

**???:** how did you two meet actually?

**Joker:** i was in a park nursing an broken arm when Crow just kinda approached me. the rest is kinda history.

**Joker:** are you guys sure none of you can take Mona? he's being rather bossy and telling me to go to bed, i don't need a cat telling me when to go to sleep.

**Crow:** Go to bed Akira.

**???:** I don't think you telling him to will make any difference Crow.

**Joker:** mkay.

**???:** ....

**Skull:** u don't listen when the cat says it but when Crow says it u just do it?

**Joker:** he's my best friend, course i listen to him. i barely know Mona.

**Joker:** and if he doesn't get his paws off my shoulder and reading these texts i'm going to throw him down the stairs.

**Skull:** woah dude.

**Crow:** Control the red dragon Joker, don't catch everything on fire.

**Joker:** ....

**Joker:** sorry guys :( 

**Joker:** i have anger management issues

**???:** that was pretty obvious.

**Skull:** is monamona gonna be okay with him?

**Joker:** he'll be fine as long as i can control my temper well enough to not cause harm

**Joker:** it'll also help if he keeps his paws off me, don't think i don't feel your paws on my shoulder Mona.

**???:** let's all just go to bed already.

**Crow:** I agree with Ann, we have quite the week ahead of us.

**Skull:** 'kay, 'night.

**Joker:** goodnight

**???:** night

**Crow:** Goodnight everyone. 

**Crow:** Also Mona, a word of advice.

**Crow:** Take Akira's warnings seriously, he wouldn't hesitate to follow through with them.

Closing my messaging app I turned off my phone and set it to charge. _I really hope Morgana will be alright, Akira seemed about ready to grab him by scruff._ I thought before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for this chapter was plentiful, which is why we have this up now, I can't guarantee that chapters will come out at a good rate which is why I made a promise to update at least once a month. Until next time, bye.  
(p.s. I want to make a arcane swap for P5, help me out by filling out the following form  
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXhfoxrZafGrkdWF-xtWevudy-Ho4FaraNggnFrUNF6WygJw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1)


	7. Through the castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going through the castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold and with "= **shadow or persona speaking out loud**  
Bold and with '= **persona speaking in head**  
Italics and with '= _inner thoughts or communicating with persona_

_Akira's POV_

I closed my messaging app and frowned as I pushed Morgana so he would stop standing on my leg. "The leg doesn't make it any better you know? At least tell me before you put your paws on me." I said. The cat nodded sitting down next to me. "You should get ready for bed. Goro was right saying that we have quite the week ahead of us." He said. I nodded and stood up, walking to the box holding my things and pulling out my sleep clothes. "Do me a favour Morgana and not look while I'm changing?" I asked.

"Why?" He asked. "Morgana, as you have learned, my parents have been abusing me for a long time. That means that I have scars, scars that I'm insecure about. I don't want you to see them at this point in time." I said. The cat stared at me for a bit before turning around. "Cover your head so I know you'll at least not peek." I insisted. Morgana groaned but shoved his head under the blanket on my bed. Glad that he wouldn't be seeing my scars I began to get charged. I glanced at my arms and frowned, they really were bad. 

**'Abuse can cause many to do things that most normal people wouldn't think to do. Besides these are your battle scars, you shouldn't be ashamed.'** Arsene hummed gently. I could almost feel the gentleman thief wrap his wings around me as a method of comfort. _'Goro wouldn't be proud if he saw how bad it was. I told him I'd try to stop, the results aren't pretty.'_ I told him. **'Any progress is good progress, that's what he always tells you. He would still see improvement. He would see that you're trying.'** The persona said, gently chiding me. I sighed but nodded. _'You're right, of course you are. You're my inner self, how can I argue with you?'_ I thought.

**'You can't really. But then again you got this far without my help. I'm sure you can further improve with the support net you now have.'** Arsene's hand ghosted over my arm, I glanced over at Morgana, who still had his head under the blanket, and my phone sitting on the windowsill. _'I can't let them help me stand... but they'll be there to catch me if I fall. That's your point right?'_ I asked. **'Yes, you have to learn to cope in your own way. But there's nothing stopping them for leading you an ear when you need to talk or letting you lean on they're shoulder when you're too weak to stand.'** Arsene's message was quite clear. You didn't need to be a genius to understand it.

I finished changing and turned off the lights before sitting down on my bed, Morgana now looking at me. "Are you going to be alright with me sleeping on the bed with you Akira?" He asked. I smiled gently and rubbed the cat's head. "It should be fine, just tell me if you want to lay on me okay?" I requested. He nodded so I laid down and pulled the covers over me. After a bit he crawled under the blanket and curled against my side. "This is alright right?" He asked, unsure. "Yeah, it's fine Morgana." I said, giving him a quick stroke before letting myself drift off to sleep. My sleep that night would be peaceful for once.

* * *

I woke up for school and got dressed before grabbing my bag where Morgana had placed himself. I ate breakfast intending to finish quickly and get out of Sojiro's hair fast. "How has school been so far?" He asked out of the blue. I couldn't suppress the flinch that came from the sudden question. "Fine, someone leaked my record to the whole school but I've managed to make a few friends." I say. The café owner nodded, not looking up from his work behind the counter.

"Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you're adjusting already." He said. I didn't know how to respond to him showing even the slightest bit of care for me since he's seemed completely indifferent to my presence so far. "Thanks." I mumble, finishing up my breakfast and grabbing my bag. "I should get going." I said, barely speaking above a whisper. "Stay safe." He said. I rushed out the door heading for the train station, once I was standing and waiting for the train Morgana popped his head out of my bag placing his paws on my shoulder and leaning towards me to speak.

I flinched when his paws touched my shoulder. "Sorry, I know you told me to warn you before I do that." He apologized. "It's okay, want something?" I asked. "Yeah, you seemed uncomfortable when Chef started to talk to you about how everything was going. Why's that?" He asked. "Sojiro hasn't really shown any interest in how I was doing since I got here. I wasn't expecting him to start talking to me so suddenly." I said. "Has that really been the case though? He's been feeding you after all. If he truly didn't care he wouldn't do that now would he?" Morgana asked.

I thought about it and realized that he had a point. If Sojiro really didn't care then he'd probably just tell me to feed myself, to be honest the only reason I ate breakfast was because he made it for me and I didn't want to refuse such an offer. "I... guess you have a point." I mumbled. Our train pulled up so our conversation ended there as I got on. It would be a long day, that I could tell.

* * *

"I hate to say this but we're not prepared." Everyone looked at Morgana like he was crazy. "What do you mean? We're all well rested and ready to fight, we should be able to do this." Ryuji said. "We need healing items, we also don't know how long our current weapons will be effective. We should also make tools for the infiltration, you never know when you need a lockpick." Morgana said. "So what you're saying is we need medicine, weapons, and tools?" Goro asked. "That's right, I can teach Akira how to make tools but medicine and weapons we'll need to buy." Morgana said.

"I can handle weapons, I know a place that sells model weapons including guns. They just need to look real to be effective right? I know the owner so I get a discount." Ryuji said. "So that just leaves medicine huh?" Ann asked. "I might have an idea, I saw a doctor visit Leblanc once. Sojiro said that she makes homemade medicine, I even heard a few rumors about how she was making some performance enhancing drug. I bet she'll sell medicine to me if I do her a few favors or help her out." I said. "Are you sure you'll be fine Akira? She sounds shady." Goro said.

"Never judge a book by it's cover, I think she'll help out. Ryuji try and buy whatever you think will be the most powerful and I'll handle the medicine and tools. Let's meet up after everything is said and done." I said. Goro sighed but nodded. "Alright then, let's move out." I said.

* * *

_~group chat: **The Thieves**~_

**Joker:** medicine obtained, i managed to convince her to sell it to me by saying it was for exams. but if i want some for the future i have to help her out with something.

**Crow:** And this something is?

**Joker:** chill out Crow, i just have to help her develop a medication, i don't know what it's for yet but i'm sure she'll tell me in due time.

**Skull:** well that's super shady

**Skull:** on another note I got us the guns and weapons we need.

**???:** has Mona taught you how to make tools yet?

**Joker:** yeah, who knew that making a lockpick could be so hard? i think i've made enough to get us through the Palace though.

**Crow:** We can start tomorrow then, how about we wait for Monday though? That way we can mentally prepare ourselves.

**Joker:** that's a good idea Crow, is everyone fine with that?

**Skull:** i don't have any complaints

**???:** same on my end

**Joker:** Mona also agrees that we should wait, so on monday we'll give that bastard Kamoshida a piece of our minds.

_~direct messaging: **Aki** and **Dt GoGo**~_

**Dt GoGo: **how are you doing Akira? i know that son of a bitch leaked your record, i hope you haven't been getting bullied because of it.

**Aki:** No, in fact most people avoid me all together. I'll be fine Goro.

**Dt GoGo:** i'll transfer to Shujin if it means keeping you safe. no one has the right to pick on my best friend.

**Aki:** You can be really overprotective sometimes, you realize that right?

**Dt GoGo:** what's your point?

**Aki:** Just saying, but really Goro I'm gonna be fine. How's Robin Hood been treating you?

**Dt GoGo:** he's fine for a vigilant of justice who steals from the rich to give to the poor. him and Loki get along surprisingly well.

**Aki:** I'm still a bit jealous that you have two Personas. But it's also pretty covenant. No way we would have been trusted if you showed them Loki.

**Dt GoGo:** now we just have to hope that when it's revealed that we lied about certain things that they understand why we did it.

**Aki:** We'll be fine Goro, I doubt this little group we have will last past Kamoshida. Once it disbands then we can back to what we really need to be doing.

**Dt GoGo:** right, he's still in the running isn't he?

**Aki:** We can't let that man get elected. If it happens then Japan is doomed.

**Dt GoGo:** then i guess it's a good thing we have plenty of time to do it. the election is in December after all.

**Aki:** This little vigilante group we have now wouldn't last til December. It's ride or die for the both of us, no one else will be able to help.

**Dt GoGo:** we should also worry about the 'ruin' that Igor talks about, if that doesn't happen to be him.

**Aki:** I'm sure we'll figure it out before my probation is up.

**Dt GoGo:** not like you're going home once it's over though.

**Aki:** True, is the guest room set up yet?

**Dt GoGo: **ready and waiting, once your probation is up you can move in.

**Aki:** Do you think we're being over prepared?

**Dt GoGo:** nah

**Aki:** My thoughts exactly, goodnight GoGo.

**Dt GoGo:** goodnight Aki.

* * *

_~direct messaging **Just Akira** and **Mishima**~_

**Mishima:** okay, I've prepared what you asked me too. it's ready to go up the moment you give the word.

**Just Akira****:** Thanks Mishima, and remember that this is just between you and me for now. 

**Mishima:** I do have to ask why you don't want even your best friend to know what your planning.

**Just Akira:** If Goro learned about this sort of back up plan I have set up then his praise for me thinking ahead would be endless. I need some time to mentally prepare myself for that.

**Mishima:** you two are really close huh?

**Just Akira: **Ever since we were little, yeah. I can't imagine my life without Goro in it.

**Mishima:** you deserve someone like him in your life Akira, I hope you realise that.

**Just Akira:** Anyways, as soon as I get the name I'll let you know.

**Mishima:** you better, the placeholder name I have right now is ridiculous.

**Just Akira:** Somehow I doubt that.

**Mishima:** _thesite.jpg_

**Just** **Akira:** I nearly just died, that coughing fit I just had was me covering up my laughing. I should not have looked at that. XD

_~**Mishima** changed **Just Akira**'s chat name to **RIP Akira**~_

**RIP Akira:** I would be mad if it didn't make sense.

**Mishima:** now we have a bit of an inside joke with us.

**RIP Akira:** I really hope no one catches us on our phones, if they do we're so dead.

**Mishima:** it'd be worth it to talk to a friend.

**RIP Akira:** I would agree but I really can't get in trouble.

**Mishima:** right, you are on pretty thin ice already.

**RIP Akira: **Just be ready for plan C in case the worst comes.

**Mishima:** right, but I think everything will be fine as long as we keep our heads down.

**RIP Akira:** Speak for yourself I think Ryuji could give us away with how loud he is.

**Mishima: **we should pay attention now.

**RIP Akira: **Right talk to you later.

**Mishima:** right bye.

* * *

When class finally let out I basically shoved Morgana into my bag and stood up. Ann followed me out the door and to the alley we agreed would be our meeting place for now on where Ryuji and Goro were waiting. Morgana hopped out of my bag and sat down on the air vent near Goro. "We're ready to proceed in the Palace. I hope we're all mentally prepared for it." He said. With little hesitation we entered the Metaverse, and we all realized just want Ann's will of rebellion looked like.

"Daaamn." Ryuji said. Goro was trying to cover up Ann's chest area which she seemed to appreciate. "Why am I dressed like this?" She asked. "The outfits themselves are protection against the distortion in the Palace, without them we'd be effected by Kamoshida's cognition of us." Morgana said. "How they look however is based on how we see a rebel. Let's take me for example. My idea of a rebel is a gentleman thief who slips quietly through the night, therefore my outfit appears like this. A Victorian style gentleman thief, or at least how I think they look." I said, slowly spinning around so Ann got a full view of my outfit.

She lowered her arms now, taking in her outfit, probably mentally comparing it to her idea of a rebel. "That was a pretty good way to put it Joker. You have a way with words." Morgana said. I blushed looking away from my team. "I-I've just have a lot to think about sometimes. It's was rather easy to figure out how to phrase it, nothing special." I said. "One of these days you will stop self deprecating and when that day comes I will brag on TV about my best friend in the whole wide world. And you will take the praise you freaking bastard." Goro said wrapping me in a bear hug.

"And you get onto me for swearing." I huffed. "'Hush you innocent child, the world hasn't broken you just yet." Goro said patting my head. "Shouldn't we be focusing on more important things? Like Ann's codename?" I asked, desperate to get the attention off me even if I felt a little bad for throwing Ann under the bus so to speak. "Actually I have an idea." She declared. We all turned to her, interested. "My codename will be... Panther." Everyone nodded in agreement. "That works, now let's focus on Kamoshida. Who knows how long Joker's threat will keep him at bay." Goro said. "Huh? What threat?" While we entered the castle I explained to Ann what we did right after Shiho jumped off the roof and allowed Goro to bug his office. 

"And you thought of this in ten minutes? I have to say that's pretty impressive." Ann said. "It was nothing, it worked after all. The question is how long it will be before he get's brave and confronts me. Which is why we have to do this fast." I said. We ran through the castle until we came across a shadow, it was directly in our path and I couldn't see a way around it. "Guess we'll have to fight." I groaned getting ready to pull out my dagger. "Wait, I should probably tell you this now that I have the chance." I turned to Morgana. "Shadows are like real living things, meaning that they can talk. If you have them cornered you can hold them up and demand money or items in exchange for sparing them. They might just have something good on them and might hand it over since they don't want to die." He explained. 

"Guess now is a good time to find out if that's true." I said before launching an attack on the shadow. It was a fairy looking one, I swiftly knocked it down and everyone else surrounded it, pulling out their guns and pointing it at her. My pistol joined the circle of guns. "Money or items, cough them up and you wouldn't die." I hissed. She looked surprised. **"For real? If I give you something you'll let me go?"** Then she looked rather nervous. **"I... actually don't have anything on me right now. I usually do though!"** I shrugged. "Welp, time to die then." I was about to signal for an all out attack when she kept speaking.

**"Wait! I wouldn't tell King Kamoshida if you just let me go! I swear!"** I huffed and rolled my eyes. "I'm on a bit of a time schedule here and unfortunately you're currently in our way. Can't be helped, you just picked the wrong side." A small grin appeared on her face. **"Busy boy huh? Why are you so determined to do this?"** She asked looking curious, I could understand that. "He did something horrible and I can't forgive him for that. He caused a girl to attempt suicide in the real world and that girl was important to Panther. He also leaked my record ruining my reputation and destroying my second chance." I said.

**"So he caused the rumor mill to turn with you as the new material for it huh? I can understand the girl too, honestly I would probably do the same thing if I was in your shoes..."** She suddenly perked up. **"Wait a minute, I remember now!"** She shot up, her wings flapping and hovered in front of me. **"I don't belong to King Kamoshida! I belong to the sea of human souls, from now on you can call me Pixie. I am thou, thou art I."** Pixie dissolved into blue light and it swirled around my mask. I felt a presence settle inside it, Arsene shuffling over to give them some room. "W-what just happened?" Morgana asked looking at me.

"I-I-I'm not sure. It just... happened." I said. "That was odd... Joker are you sure you don't know what you did?" Ann asked. "I swear this is the first time this has happened to me! I'm not sure what I did!" I said. "Guys we've got company." Goro hissed. We turned and I barely managed to duck out of the way as a horse like shadow with horns charged at me. Ryuji wasn't so lucky as he was thrown several feet away. _'Shit! And if I remember correctly this thing is weak to lightning.'_ I thought. **'Oh, I have lightning! I can take it out.'** I recognized that voice. _'Pixie?! I don't understand.'_ I thought.** 'Honey you're a Wild card, someone with the ability to have multiple personas. And I'm a persona, now can we take that thing out? We might be able to use it later though so keep an eye out for more.'** Pixie said.

Figuring that it wouldn't hurt I tapped my mask and it burst into flames. "Pixie!" She appeared immediately when I called her, the red and black gone and replaced by blue. She flung her arm forward and lightning sprung forward and zapped the two horned beast. An all out attack quickly finished it off and I helped Ryuji to his feet. "Akira that..." Goro muttered softly. "Joker, you can summon multiple personas!" Morgana cried. "Dude how did you do that? You turned that shadow into a persona?" Ryuji said. "I-I'm not 100% sure what I did, I just talked with her." I said.

"You can recruit shadows and turn them into personas. You should try to do that more often." Morgana said before walking away. Ann and Ryuji followed him but Goro hung back with me and wrapped an arm around me. "Are you okay Aki?" He asked softly. "I-I... didn't know I was a wild card..." I muttered softly. "Well I didn't either, don't worry about it. You should try to do that though." Goro said. "But I don't know what I did! I just... spoke with her and she happened to remember something." I said. "You'll figure it out I'm sure." He said guiding me towards the group again.

We kept moving through the castle, whenever I could I tried to do what I did with Pixie but I couldn't seem to do it. The shadows just didn't seem to understand where I was coming from. Suddenly we were facing down a pumpkin looking shadow, I was getting frustrated at this point. **"Hee, how about we talk about this hoe? I'm sure we can come to an understanding."** It said. I huffed, my leg bouncing impatiently. "I guess I can talk for a few minutes." I mumbled. **"Hee, you need to speak up! I can barely hear you when you mumble hoe!"** It laughed. I chuckled. "Sorry, that's a bad habit of mine." I said.

"No one really takes notice of me, I'm basically invisible out in the real world." I said rubbing my arm. **"Hee! I feel the same way, no one really takes notice of me around here. We're pretty alike huh hoe?"** It suddenly brightened and the red faded to blue. **"I just remember something! I don't belong to this place hoe! I use to live in the sea of hee human hearts! My name is Jack-O-Lantern hoe. And I am thou, thou art I!"** With that he dissolved into blue light and it swirled around my mask. Once again I felt a presence settle into it, Arsene and Pixie moved over to give Jack-O-Lantern room. 

I laughed happily and bounced up and down. "I did it! And on purpose this time!" I said. Goro smiled and hugged me. "Good job Joker!" He said. "That was great Joker! Let's keep going." Morgana said. I nodded and we moved on, my new persona adding a needed kick to my arsenal with fire abilities. Soon however we came to a stop, Goro having to pull me back before I got slashed by the blade swinging from the ceiling. "This place has just checked another box on the classic castle troops. What do we do now?" Goro asked. I saw a statue of Kamoshida next to the doorway with chains connecting it to the ceiling.

I inspected it and noticed that it's eyes were missing. _'Pixie, Jack-O-Lantern, any ideas what to do?'_ I asked the two personas. **'Oh, yeah. The eyes are the keys so we'll need them to stop the scythes.'** Pixie said. "We need the eyes, according to Pixie we'll need them to stop the scythes." I said. "Does she know where they might be?" Goro asked. _'Pixie?'_ **'No, sorry. I wasn't trusted enough to know that.'** I shook my head. "What about Jack-O-Lantern?" Ryuji asked. _'Well Jack?'_ I asked. **'Hee, if my hunch is correct then a high ranking officer will have them hoe.'** He said. "He thinking that a high ranking officer will have them. But it's just a hunch." I reported.

"Really? God that will be a pain to do." Ryuji hissed. "We need the keys to get through here. Let's just push through." Goro said. So we went and got the keys and stopped the scythes so we could press forward. Ryuji's limp was getting worse as we moved forward so we stopped in a safe room. "Are you doing okay Skull? I don't want you to push yourself beyond your limits just for this." I asked reaching out for Ryuji. "I'll be fine Joker. I can keep moving, just need to rest for a bit." He said sitting down. "We should all rest up now that I think about. How are you doing Mona?" I asked him. "I'm fine, this is nothing for me. I should be able to get through." Morgana said.

"What about you Crow?" I asked Goro. He was rubbing his shoulder, clearly loosening the tense muscles there. "I'll be alright, this is for the good of others so I can push through." He said. "Panther?" I asked looking at her. "This is for Shiho, I can make it through." She said. "Alright but don't be afraid to say if you need a break. I don't want you guys to push beyond your limits." I said. Goro rested a hand on my shoulder. "How about you Joker? Are you doing alright?" He asked. "Yeah, I can move through this. Pixie and Jack have kinda give me an energy boost." I said. So we all rested for a good while until Ryuji said that he was good to go and headed out. After a while in a fight I noticed that Ryuji was not doing well, I was proven right when he fell down clutching his bad leg.

I immediately scooped him up with the help of Goro and got him to the safe room. "Alright, I think we're done for today. Skull clearly can't keep moving forward." I said. Ryuji immediately protested. "I'm fine! I just need a moment to rest is all." He said. "Skull you just collapsed, I think that is proof enough that we're done for today. We can return tomorrow." I said. Ryuji clearly wasn't happy about having to leave but we did and once in the real world he rubbed his leg. "Can... One of you guys walk home with me? I live near Yongen-Jaya." He said. "I'll go, Leblanc is in Yongen-Jaya so it won't be a long walk for me." I said. "Text me when you get there okay?" Goro asked. "Of course, see you guys later." With that me and Ryuji began to walk.

He really did live close to Yongen-Jaya so as we walked we talked. "You really should have said that you needed a break." I said. "Yeah yeah, sorry. I just didn't want to slow us down." He said. "None of us will mind slowing our pace if you need it. We've all had something that requires us to take it slow." I said. We arrived at his apartment complex and nearly right away the door to his apartment opened and a woman came out. "There you are Ryuji! Are you alright?" She asked. I knew right away that this must be his mom. "I'm fine Mom, but I had Akira here come with me just in case." Ryuji said looking at me. I looked away from her and rubbed my arm. "N-ni-nice to meet you Sakamoto-san." I said. She looked at me and slowly a smile spread on her face.

"So you're the shy boy Ryuji keeps mentioning to me. It's nice to meet you too Akira-kun." She said. I shifted my weight from one foot to another before she addressed me again. "You want something to eat? I'm sure we have something you'll like." I immediately shook my head. "T-th-that's not necessary. I s-should be going anyways. My guardian will get mad if I'm late." I said. The woman actually looked disappointed. "Well alright, come by again if you can." She said. "O-okay." I said before leaving. Once home I pull out my phone.

_~group chat: **The Thieves**~_

_~**Joker** changed **???'s** chat name to **Panther**~_

**Joker:** as you can see i'm home.

**Crow:** How's Skull, is he okay?

**Joker**: yeah he's fine, i got him home just fine.

**Skull:** u should have seen him around my ma, I've never seen him so shy.

**Panther:** ur mom met him? What has she said 

**Skull:** she wants him to come by sometime. She really likes him

**Joker:** she just met me, give it some time and i'm sure she'll find a reason to hate me.

**Skull:** y r u so determined to think that every adult u met hates u?

**Joker:** it's a very hard mindset to shake off skull. i know it's not healthy but what can i do about it?

**Skull:** oh, right. Forgot about the abuse thing for a bit.

**Crow:** Excuse me for turning into Mona for a bit but...

**Crow:** Everyone

**Crow:** Go to bed!

**Crow:** We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

**Joker:** alright, good night everyone.

**Panther:** 'night

**Skull:** goodnight.

* * *

_Goro's POV_

_~group chat: **Akira rehabilitation squad**~_

_~**Ryuji** created **Akira rehabilitation squad**~_

_~**Ryuji** added **Goro** to **Akira rehabilitation squad**~_

_~**Ryuji** added **Ann** to **Akira rehabilitation squad**~_

**Ryuji:** so who's in?

**Goro:** Ryuji I've been working on this project for years, of course I'm in.

**Ann:** do we really need a group chat for this? I'm in of course but I'm wondering.

**Ryuji:** it would get annoying real fast if I messaged each of u guys individually. Faster to make a group chat.

**Goro:** Rehabilitating Akira will be hard. The poor guy thinks everyone hates him. He also has some bad cooping methods that he is trying to break.

**Ryuji:** alright, so first things first. We need to help him see that not everyone hates him. Introducing him to my mom didn't seem to help that much.

**Goro:** I can see about introducing him to Sae-san. She's a nice enough woman but she looks rather tough. She's also a prosecutor which might make him wary of her.

**Ann:** Sae.... Do you mean Sae Niijima?

**Goro:** Mhm, Sae-san acts sort of like a sister to me. But if you don't know her very well she can be intimidating.

**Ryuji:** do u know Makoto Niijima?

**Goro:** Sae's little sister? Yeah I know her, we're not exactly friends but we talk sometimes. Why?

**Ryuji:** dude Makoto is our student council president.

**Goro:** Really?

**Ryuji:** yeah

**Goro:** ...

**Goro: **Excuse me for a bit.

_~direct messaging: **Akechi** and **Niijima junior**~_

**Akechi:** Niijima we need to discuss something.

**Niijima junior:** What is it Akechi? I'm having a few problems at school because of the new transfer student.

**Akechi:** That's what I want to talk about. 

**Akechi:** I also wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't necessary but...

**Akechi:** Please, please treat Akira kindly. He's been through enough shit already you don't need to terrorize him.

**Niijima junior:** How do you know Kurusu-kun?

**Akechi:** We've been best friends since childhood. Niijima I'm begging you, if you can do anything for his reputation or protect him from bullies I will do anything for you if you'd just please help him out.

**Niijima junior:** Akechi-kun...

**Akechi:** Please! I'll do anything! Just make Akira's school life easier for him!

**Akechi:** :(

**Niijima junior:** Is Kurusu-kun really this important to you?

**Akechi:** :((

**Akechi:** :((((

**Akechi: **:((((((((

**Niijima junior:** Ugh, fine.

**Niijima junior:** I'll see what I can do for him.

**Akechi:** :D

**Akechi:** Thank you! I'll figure out a way to repay you I promise.

**Niijima junior:** There is a movie I want to see after school Saturday. Sis says I can't see it alone, come with me. That's how you can repay me. You'll still owe me a few favors though.

**Akechi:** If it means Akira is safe I'll do it.

**Niijima junior:** Alright, meet me outside the gates after school then.

**Akechi:** I'll be there.

_~group chat: **Akira rehabilitation squad**~_

**Goro:** Okay I'm back. 

**Ryuji:** dude what did u do?

**Goro:** Relax, I struck a deal with Niijima junior. I asked her to help make Akira's school life easier and in exchange I have to go to a movie with her. I also owe her a few favors.

**Ann:** so she helps Akira and you have to go on a date with her?

**Goro:** It's not a date, she can't go to this movie alone so I have to accompany her. Sae-san has some very strict rules.

**Ann:** r u sure she doesn't see it as a date?

**Goro:** Of course she doesn't, I'm as straight as a circle and Niijima knows this.

**Ann:** ...

**Ryuji:** wait

**Ryuji:** you're gay?

**Goro:** Yup, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

_~**Ryuji** changed **Goro's **chat name to **Rainbow Detective**~_

**Ryuji:** u owe me 500 yen Ann.

**Rainbow Detective:** Why were you betting on my sexualty?

**Ann:** basically he said that he thought you were gay, I said no way, he then said that he bets 500 yen that you were and I took it like a dumbass.

**Ryuji:** that's basically what happened

**Rainbow Detective:** How did you guess that I might be gay?

**Ryuji:** goro, darling, if you want to hide the fact that you're gay you really shouldn't keep a rainbow flag with 'Pride' written on it in white in your briefcase.

**Ryuji:** I saw it when you reached in to the case grab something.

**Rainbow Detective:** I thought you might have seen it. In that case I'm glad you didn't mention it right then and there.

**Ryuji:** np dude, it's ur business if u want to tell us weather or not u tell us u like guys

**Rainbow Detective:** So what is our first step in helping Akira get use to people liking him?

**Ann:** myb we should talk about this after we deal with Kamoshida, that way we can focus more on helping Akira and not worrying about that perv breathing down our necks.

**Ryuji: **oh yeah, good point ann

**Rainbow Detective:** I guess it can wait until then...

**Rainbow Detective:** Oh, and Ryuji.

**Ryuji:** yeah?

_~**Rainbow Detective** changed **Ryuji's **chat name to **Pirate Boi**~_

**Rainbow Detective:** If you change my name again I will do so in kind.

**Pirate Boi:** noted

_~**Ann** changed her name to **Miss Kitty**~_

**Miss Kitty:** i didn't want to be the odd one out so don't go on about it.

**Rainbow Detective:** I am so glad Akira isn't in this chat to witness the train wreck we have become.

**Pirate Boi:** speaking of does akira know u're gay?

**Rainbow Detective:** He was the first person I came out to, I can't even began to describe how stressful that ordeal was.

**Miss Kitty:** do u think we should add Mishima to this chat? him and akira are kinda friends, in a way.

**Rainbow Detective:** Let us ponder that while we also focus on school work, class time now. Pay attention you fools.

**Pirate Boi:** ugh, fine

**Miss Kitty:** ok

* * *

As soon as we got to the throne room and found our way in and to the Treasure I was very tempted to just screw the change of heart shit and shoot Shadow Kamoshida through the head and be done with it. We entered the room that was supposed to hold the Treasure... and immediately got distracted. "Look at all this stuff! Gold is literally covering the floor!" Akira chirped, happily kicking a few pieces of said gold. I was distracted by the light shining off of the gold and was very tempted to grab some of it, I guess my codename of Crow made sense that way. I drew my eyes away from the sparkling gold and turned my attention to a cloud like thing floating in the air. 

"What the hell is this thing?" I asked swiping at it, my hand of course passed through it. Morgana hopped onto the sideways trophy and chuckled. "It's the Treasure, we finally found it!" He said happily. "This is the Treasure?! How the _hell_ are we going to steal it? We can't even touch it!" I said swiping at the Treasure again to prove my point. "Calm down Crow, I was gonna explain more once we got this far." Morgana said turning to us. The others have gathered around at this point. "Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough, we have to make it materialize before we can steal it. Desires have no physical form by nature of course." He said. 

"So how do we make it materialize?" Akira asked, always asking the good questions. "We need to make them aware that their desires are a treasure, if we do that the Treasure will appear." Morgana said. "Wait... so we have to tell them that we're going to steal their desires? Like warn them?' I asked. "That's right! We'd send them a calling card of sorts." Morgana said. "Heh, it's like we're phantom thieves! Pulling off an insane crime and leaving not a trace but there is still proof it was us that did it!" I said chuckling. Ann laughed. "This is kinda exciting!" She said. "We've secured our infiltration route, now we just have to make a calling card and send it out in reality." Morgana said.

"Just you wait Kamoshida... your days are numbered." Akira whispered, a glint in his eyes that I had never seen before. This was truly going to be _fun_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the calling card. I'm going to be _**heavily**_ changing how the calling card is done so look forward to that. Until next time, bye!


	8. The fall of Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calling card and stealing the Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I am _**heavily**_ editing how the calling card is written and what it says will also be changed.

_Akira's POV_

It was the day after we secured our route to the Treasure and we had all agreed to hang out in the alley we had deemed our temporary meeting place to discuss the calling card. I was about to head out to meet up with them when I was stopped with a firm "Kurusu-kun". After freezing I turned and was met with the student council president Makoto Niijima. "C-can I do something for you Niijima-senpai?" I asked, not looking at her directly. "I just wanted a few words with you. This wouldn't take long I promise." She assured, her voice having softened a considerable amount. "O-okay. What is it?" I asked, mumbling quite a bit. **'Such a bad habit you have...'**_ 'Hush Arsene, I'm trying.'_

"It's just that I realize that you might be having a few issues adjusting to school life here. If you ever have any problems with any of your few students, and I mean any, you can come to me and I'll handle it. Being the student council president does sometimes come with it's perks. Just tell me and I'll do my best to help." I looked up at Niijima, she seemed completely sincere with her offer and she wasn't asking anything from me in exchange. I smiled a little bit. "T-thanks, I'll be sure to remember that." I said. She smiled gently and handed me a piece of paper. "This has my number on it, just in case you don't want to tell me directly you can call or text me. I honestly hope you wouldn't end up using it. I'll see you around Kurusu-kun." With that Niijima turned and walked away, giving me a small wave before disappearing from sight.

_I am thou, thou art I,_

_Thou has acquired a new vow,_

_It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of _ _captivity_

_With the birth of the **High Priestess **Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

At that moment Morgana poked his head out of my bag. "That was really nice of her, she doesn't appear to be judging you for your past." He said. "That's honestly a relief. At least I have someone I can talk to if needed." I said patting the cat on the head. I walked to the alley and immediately saw the rest were already there. "Sorry for the wait guys, I got held up by Niijima-senpai for it bit. It was nothing bad I promise." I reassured Goro. He smiled softly and nodded, trusting me to be alright. "Alright, so who will write the calling card?" I looked at Morgana and frowned. "What do you mean who will write it? Can't we write and design it together?" I asked. 

"I like Akira's idea, let's all write it!" Ann said happily. Morgana looked surprised but smiled and nodded. "Alright then, where should we start writing it? We can't do it here." He said. "Goro, grab the printer, laptop, and drawing tablet and bring them to Leblanc. We'll write it there, I'll tell Sojiro that we're studying or something." I said. Goro nodded and we broke apart, everyone going to get what they needed. On the way to Leblanc I stopped by the store and bought printer paper. "Why are you buying printer paper? Doesn't Goro have some?" Morgana asked. I shook my head. "Nope, he always forgets to get some. It's best that I have some on hand in case he forgot again." I explained.

When I got to Leblanc Sojiro looked up at the bell. "Ah, you're back earlier then you usually are." He said. "I'm going to be studying with my friends upstairs, that's okay right?" I asked. "Yeah, just don't make a lot of noise okay? And if you make a mess clean it up okay?" He said. "No problem Sakura-san." I said before heading upstairs. It didn't take long for my fellow thieves to arrive, Goro forgetting to bring printer paper as I had thought he would. "Alright, let's get this started." I said, opening the laptop and pulling up a design program. Goro got the printer set up while I looked through the layouts in the program. 

"We're going for a gentleman thief aesthetic right?" I asked pulling up a blank template. "Yeah, so we should use the colors red and black." Ann said. I colored the white red and made black circles on the side that was going to be used for the message. "Can I design a logo? We need to be recognizable right?" Ryuji said. I handed him the drawing tablet that was connected to the laptop. "Go ahead." I said. Ryuji smiled at me and began to design a logo, his tongue poking out of his mouth a little bit as he did so. Once he was done he showed it to us, it was a crud top hat with mask showing off the eyes and a toothy grin. Under that was the phrase 'Steal your heart' in English, made to look like magazine letters.

"It's a bit crud but I like the look of the magazine letters. If we had an actual artist it'd be a bit better but it's definitely recognizable." Goro said. Ann passed me a flash drive where I saved the design of the card. I guess we were all thinking that we might keep doing this so we might as well save it. "How about we write the message like that then? Make it look like magazine letters?" I asked already setting up the tools needed. "That sounds like a good idea! Let's do it." Ann chirped. "I like the idea as well." Goro said. "Alright, so what are we writing on it?" I asked.

* * *

The brainstorming session lasted for a while, eventually we had our message. We all took turns reading out the message. "Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the great sinner of lust" Goro read. "We know of your crimes, we know that you force your twisted desires on helpless students, the very ones you as a teacher are supposed to protect" Ann read. "Because of this we have decided to take away these desires and have you confess your sins using your own mouth and words" Ryuji read. "We shall take these desires today and there is nothing you can do to stop us." Morgana read. I grinned as I read the last part. "from, **The Phantom Thieves of Hearts**." It was the perfect name.

We all had evil grins on our faces as we looked at our work. "How shall we deliver it?" I asked. "Who says we need one calling card? Let's plaster a whole bunch of them on the bulletin board!" Ryuji suggested. "Why are we stopping at the bulletin board? Let's tape them to the classroom doors too! And we gotta put them all over the gym and PE faculty office." Ann insisted. Goro was naturally doing the math in his head. "We'll need a lot of paper, more than what we have here." He said. "I can have Mishima pick some up, he's somewhat involved already so he won't tell anyone. We are dealing with his abuser after all." I said. "How much did you tell him?" Goro asked. "A lot, but I made sure he wouldn't tell before I did." I said. 

Goro thought about it, then shrugged. "Alright then, tell him to buy as much printer paper as he can carry and get here. And make sure he knows the studying story." He said. So I texted Mishima to pick up as much printer paper he could carry and to bring it to Leblanc, informing him about the studying story. He didn't take long to come with the paper, a lot of it. We got to printing, saving on paper by printing multiple cards on the same sheet and using a paper cutter I found in the attic to separate them. We spent the whole evening printing, cutting, and repeating the process until we had used all the paper we had and had placed the calling cards neatly into the bags we would use to take them to school.

Throughout the whole process we wore latex gloves to insure we didn't leave fingerprints because you can never be too careful. When we finished our work it was very late so everyone left of their homes. Goro taking the printer and laptop we used, Ann taking the paper cutter, Ryuji taking the flash drive with the digital version of the calling card on it, and me and Mishima splitting the calling cards between us. Once they were gone I pulled up the group chat.

_~group chat: **The Thieves**~_

_~**Joker** changed the group chat name to **The Phantom Thieves of Hearts**_ _~_

**Joker:** i'll add Mishima here later.

**Crow:** Shall we post the cards tomorrow?

**Skull:** yes

**Panther:** i agree with Skull, tomorrow?

**Joker:** alright then, let's do it. i'll tell Mishima that. we'll need help posting the cards since there are so many.

**Crow:** Let's all meet outside the school, after everyone has left.

**Joker: **let's do this.

**Panther:** agreed

**Skull:** we're taking that bastard down!

I chuckled at them and put my phone away and began to stroke Morgana. "We'll steal the Treasure and then we'll help you regain your true form. Whatever that might be." I said. The cat smiled at me and sighed. "Akira, not everyone hates you. And yet you seem to think that is true. What will it take to make you believe you're likable?" He asked. "Morgana my parents have told me all my life that they hated me and that no one would ever love someone like me. It's hard to shake something like that off." I explained. "Well I'll help you with that! You're a nice guy Akira, so... we'll be there for each other. Because you're going to be helping me regain my true form, so I'll help you adjust to regular life." He said. I smiled softly. "I guess that's a deal then." "You bet it is a deal! You'll be a social butterfly by the time I regain my true form!" I chuckled slightly at the cat's antics, he sure was spunty. 

_I am thou, thou art I_

_Thou has acquired a new vow_

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity_

_With the birth of the **Magician** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power_

"Let's go to bed, we'll be up late tomorrow." I said scooping up the cat and walking him over to the bed. I sat him down, I didn't need to tell him before he tucked his head under the covers to make me feel comfortable. I changed and walked over to the bed again, sitting down and scratching under Morgana's chin which he seemed to enjoy. Once the lights were out and I crawled under the covers Morgana curled up against my side, resting his chin on my arm. "Good night Akira." He whispered softly. "Good night Morgana. See you in the morning." I muttered softly, letting myself drift off peacefully.

* * *

"Oh man, if someone caught us we'd be so dead!" Ryuji whispered excitedly. I could understand that, my heart was pounding at the thought of what we were about to do. All six of us stood outside the school, it was late at night and we were all dressed to hide our identities, each of us apart from Morgana were holding a bag full of calling cards. "Remember what we're here to do, place the calling cards and get out. We all have our areas, if you have some to spare just stick them wherever. We want to make sure he sees them." Goro said. "Got it, we'll make ourselves known around this school as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!" Morgana chirped. With that we all headed inside. Myself and Mishima will be decorating the gym, Ryuji had the job of posting on the bulletin board, Ann was in the PE faculty office, and Goro will be doing the doors.

Me and Mishima enter the gym and look around. "So, how are we going to do this?" Mishima asked me. "If it's a blank space put a calling card there." I said. Mishima could have been grinning under the surgical mask he wore but I couldn't tell, but I'm pretty sure he was. We set to work, covering every wall in the gym with calling cards, when we saw the volleyball poster we both only had to look at each other before we completely cover it with cards. We used all our cards to cover the gym and once we were done we went to check on the others. Goro had made sure that every door had at least four calling cards each, and he apparently still had some to spare because he also surrounded the doorway of the PE faculty office with an army of calling cards.

We found Ryuji quickly, he had finished with the bulletin board. "I think we might have made too many calling cards." He said gesturing to the board. You couldn't see anything under the calling cards. There were just so many of them, he clearly did his best to use as many of his calling cards to cover the board. "Just put them somewhere else, we'll help you." I said. So we helped Ryuji post the rest of the calling cards, mostly just tapping them on the wall near the bulletin board. Once we used up those cards we went to the PE faculty office to check on Ann. When I opened the door I also found Goro, and they hadn't spared the office. The calling cards covered every inch of the walls, they were also tacked to the windows and stuck out of any nook and cranny in the office. Basically, if it could hold a calling card then there was a calling card there.

"Makes it pretty obvious who the cards are meant for. Did you guys print more or something?" Mishima asked looking around. "Nope, this is all the ones we made last night." Ann said. "Yeah, I think we might have made far too many. Let this be future reference." Goro said. "We didn't plan to be subtle about this, but I agree that this might be too much..." I said looking around the room. Ryuji shrugged. "Can't be helped now. If we remove some there will be evidence of that." He said. "Yeah, if we ever do this again then let's plan for this better than we did this time." Goro agreed. With that we spilled out of the school and head home. Slipping through the window of Leblanc I set Morgana lose before changing in my sleep clothes and stashing my sneaking gear deep into my room. Sleep would come easy that night.

* * *

When I arrived at school everyone was talking about the calling cards, some of my fellow students had taken one from the bulletin board to read. I stood nearby, watching as Kamoshida tore one off the board and read it himself. He flipped around to look at me, Ryuji, Ann, and Mishima who were gathered around the stairs. Mishima was sitting on the stairs with his laptop sitting in his lap, his hand resting on the lid as a silent threat. The man huffed at us, I swore for a second I could see his shadow, daring us to steal the Treasure. Once he was out of sight Morgana poked his head out of my bag. "The calling card has been delivered, we can now steal the Treasure." He said.

"We can only do it today right? That's what you said." Ryuji said. "That's right, if we fail now it's game over." Morgana confirmed. "We won't, not now." I said, a strange confidence filling me. They all looked at me and smiled, they were feeling better about this seeing how confident I was. "Once school lets out we'll meet up with Goro and take the Treasure. Nothing can stop us now." I said.

* * *

True to my words we met up with Goro in the alley just outside school and headed into the Palace. Slipping past dangerous looking shadows on our way to the throne room, when we got there the door was just hanging open and there was no guards around. "Guess they got assigned somewhere else." Goro shrugged. We all were giddy as we ran up the stairs to get to the Treasure room, it was just so exciting what we were doing. No one could even prove what we had done once the Palace collapsed.

I pushed the door to the treasure room open and we gawked at the huge crown floating where the cloud once was. "Holy shit! It's huge!" Ryuji said. "Aw yeah, the Treasure has appeared! It's just like I said wasn't it?" Morgana said. "Shiny..." Goro mumbled. The code name Crow really fit him when you took into account that he really liked shiny things. "How the fuck are we going to carry this thing out?" I asked crossing my arms. "Ah, this shine brings tears to my eyes." Morgana said. "It kinda pisses me off. This is Kamoshida's desires right? Why is it so pretty?" Ann said.

"T-Treasure." Morgana was practically drooling. "Uh, Mona's actin' awfully excited." Ryuji said. "Mona? What's wron-" That was when Morgana leaped up and started rubbing against the crown, meowing. "Uh... that's not catnip Mona." I said, rather startled. He just kept meowing, not even looking at us. "Mona! We have to go so snap out of it!" Goro said grabbing Morgana by the scruff and pulling him off the crown. Morgana snapped out of it just then and cleared his throat. "Sorry, let's get the Treasure out of here. You guys will need to carry it." He said.

We each took a side and began to carry it down the stairs, I was wondering how we would even sneak it out of the castle before we heard it. We had made it maybe half way across the throne room when we heard it. "Go go, let's go! Ka-Mo-Shi-Da!" I was pissed off just _hearing_the voice of Cognitive Ann. When the crown was knocked out of our hands by a volleyball I was more pissed off then before. There the bastard stood, looking all smug with the crown in one hand and Cognitive Ann on his other side. "I wouldn't let anyone take this! It proves I am the king of this castle and is the very core of this world." The shadow hissed.

"Were you waiting to ambush us you pervert?!" Ryuji growled. "I just made it easier to find you. I'll dispose of you myself, right here, right now." Shadow Kamoshida hissed. "You were terrified of us even with your guards around! What makes you think you can take us now?!" I growled. I wasn't even paying attention to the poisonous words anymore, I just felt rage surging through me. However it dimmed when the shadow took on a much more monstrous form and began attacking. I yelped and ducked behind a pillar as volleyballs pelted us, Goor following me and hiding with me. Eventually we were all gathered behind the same pillar. "What do we do? Any plans Joker?" Ann asked. "We need to figure out if this thing has any weaknesses, we should try throwing anything we have at it just to see if it works." I said. 

"That's your big idea?! Just throw stuff at him and hope it works?!" Ryuji asked. "We don't know anything about the situation right now so our best bet is just attacking and seeing what happens. That's all we can do until we learn more." I said with a snarl. That's when a very loud _RRIIIPPP_ cut off any further attempts to argue as we tried to figure out what was the source of the rip. "Joker your coat!" Ann exclaimed. "Huh? What about it?" I looked at my coat and saw what she meant. There was a huge rip in the middle tail of my tail coat, and I was pretty sure that it seemed to be steadily repairing itself. "The hell?" I muttered, very confused. "That wasn't there before." Goro said examining the rip. I shook off my confusion and looked at the shadow. "Let's worry about it later. We need to take care of this." I said.

Everyone nodded and we launched our attack. Goro pulled out his saber and I watched as it arched through the air, slicing through a volleyball before it could hit me. I pulled my dagger out and sliced through Shadow Kamoshida's tongue, it didn't seem to really effect him that much but he also didn't seem to resist it. Ryuji unleashed a blast of shotgun pellets on the monster and that really seemed to piss him off. We launched backwards to avoid an attack and I saw the fork the shadow held plunge into the trophy at his feet and remove a pair of naked legs which he ate. The wounds on him immediately disappeared. "Target the trophy! Don't let him heal!" I barked. Ann and Ryuji immediately responded, ready to follow the order I issued. 

Ann's whip cracked through the air, Ryuji's shotgun fired, the trophy was eliminated with deadly efficiency. "All together!" I barked launching in to start the all out attack. The attack brought his health down but he was still holding strong. "I'm the king! If I'm not then who is!?" The shadow shouted. "We aren't getting anywhere with brute force." Goro huffed. "We need a plan, have any ideas Joker?" Morgana asked. My eyes darted around, I noticed the terrace, it would be a short jump to knock the Treasure off Kamoshida's head. "Skull!" His eyes immediately locked onto me and he tense, ready to do whatever I needed him to do. "Go onto the terrace, knock the crown off while we keep Kamoshida busy." I ordered. "Leave it to me!" Ryuji said, rushing off immediately to get the crown.

I ran at Kamoshida, quickly slashing him before backflipping back to my original position. "Jeez, I didn't know you could do that Joker." Goro said. "Never tried before Crow." I said. We kept attacking, mostly using our weapons and rarely pulling out our personas. Ryuji easily knocked the crown off once he got into position and landed right next to me after it was off. "Yes!" Ann chirped. We surrounded Kamoshida and he glared down at us. "Down falls the king." I chuckled softly, a wide grin on my face. We finished off the monstrous form with deadly efficiency and soon we were looking at the shadow in its human form.

My boot slammed onto the shadow's neck, holding him down as Goro went to scoop up the now normal sized crown. "You have done some fucked up shit Kamoshida. The world is better off without someone like you." I stated calmly. "Wait! I beg you! Just forgive me!" I huffed at the shadow's begging. "I'm sure there are plenty of others who said the same to you. But you just took everything from them!" I hissed pressing my boot further into the shadow's neck. "Joker! We have the Treasure now, we can just go. We don't have to kill him, remember that if we kill the shadow we kill the person." Morgana said.

I realized very quickly that he wasn't telling us not to, he was merely reminding us what would happen. He was giving us a choice, and God did that feeling of control felt good to have. I looked at the others, Ryuji and Ann had both suffered under Kamoshida, they deserved to have a say. "What do you guys think? He did more to you two then us." I said. They both looked conflicted but seemed to come to a decision. "I think there are things worse than death, I say he should confess." Ryuji said. "I want everyone to know what he did to Shiho, I think he should confess." Ann said. I looked at Goro. "He should repent." He said simply. I glanced down at the shadow, and kicked it away from me and it began to cough. "Return to your real self and confess." I commanded.

The shadow nodded and his resolved into blue light, I looked over everyone with a soft grin on my face. That's when the castle began to shake. "Let's move! The Palace is about to collapse!" I barked. We all began to run heading for the exit, dodging falling debris while at. Morgana leaped onto my shoulder, now in cat form. Ann and Goro were on either side of Ryuji to make sure he didn't fall behind. Soon we were launching ourselves out of the Metaverse and into the real world. I panted as I tried to catch my breath and check to make sure everyone else was okay. "T-that sucked." Ann panted. Ryuji meanwhile pulled out his phone. ""Look at the Nav!" He said after a bit. 

**"The destination has been deleted."** It chimed once we pulled it out. "So it's true, we can't go there anymore." Ann said. "What about the Treasure?!" Morgana asked looking afraid. "Don't worry, I've got it." Goro said reaching into his pocket. From his pocket Goro produced a metal, the gold shining in the light of the late evening. "Huh? Where'd that crown go?" Ann asked. I took the metal from Goro and saw Kamoshida's name on it. "It means that was the source of Kamoshida's desires. It's what started it all." Morgana said. "The metal he won in the Olympics..." Ryuji looked it over. "So, that perv kept clinging to his past glory and couldn't let it go." He said.

With a sigh I dropped the metal into my bag. "We'll sell it or something, we don't want to be seen hoarding something like this. How would we explain it?" I asked. Morgana hopped into my bag and curled up. "Don't worry too much. This metal is a fake so selling it wouldn't be too much of a problem." He said. "It might be a fake but it looks very real. We should pawn it as soon as possible." I said. The rest nodded and it fell silent. "Are we all just going to ignore the fact that Akira went complete leader mode in there? That was awesome!" Ryuji said. I immediately began to blush. "O-oh that? I was just responding to the situation, no big deal." I stammered. "It was amazing. You need to do that more often." Goro said. "Guys." I pouted. Ann giggled. "Okay I get it, we'll drop it." She said. 

"Thank you." I sighed. "Now let's go home. I know where we can pawn that medal so meet up with me on Sunday, okay Akira?" Ryuji said. "W-why do I have to come? Can't I just give it to you and let you pawn it?" I asked. "Call it an exercise in your people skills. It wouldn't be that bad." He said. I sighed but nodded, resigning myself to the fact that I would be meeting someone on Sunday. "Alright, see all of you tomorrow." With that we all split up, going to our respective homes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear your guys opinion. Until next time, bye!


	9. We will take your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confession, celebration, and all the stuff in between.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was nearly 11,000 words. This is probably the longest chapter I have ever written.

_Akira's POV_

The sign over the store read _Untouchables_ and it was clearly where Ryuji got our weapons. We headed inside and I immediately took cover behind Ryuji, the man behind the counter looked scary and frankly I didn't want to come near him. "Hey Iwai! How's it going?" Ryuji immediately said approaching the counter. The man looked up and a small smirk appeared on his face, the stick in his mouth moving to one side. "Hey Ryuji, come for some more guns to add to your collection?" Ryuji laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, honestly me and my friend here actually need to sell something." The bottle blonde said.

Iwai's eyes drifted over to me and I squeeked, hiding behind Ryuji more. "He's rather shy isn't he?" The man muttered. "Yeah, he just moved to Tokyo and hasn't been meeting people. I figured this would be a good time to exercise his people skills." Ryuji said. "Alright, so what do you have?" Iwai asked. Ryuji nudged me. "Give him the medal Akira." He whispered to me. I very slowly came out from behind Ryuji and passed Iwai the medal before ducking behind Ryuji once again.

The man looked at it for a long while before reaching in over and handing Ryuji 30,000 yen. "That's how much this thing is worth." He said. "Thanks Iwai, we'll be back soon!" Ryuji chirped before leaving. I followed him to the station. "How do you casually know someone like that?" I asked. "Iwai's son goes to Shujin, I've always been a bit of a gun nut so he recommended I check out the shop. It's full of all kinds of model guns and weapons, perfect for the Metaverse." He said calmly.

"Yeah, so what are we going to do with that money?" I asked. Ryuji shrugged. "How about we celebrate after Kamoshida confess?" He suggested. "We should wait to see if it did work, and this is really something we should talk about with the others." Morgana said, poking his head out of my bag. "Morgana has a point, let's wait and see what happens." I said. "Alright, good call." Ryuji agreed.

* * *

_~group chat: **The Phantom Thieves of Hearts**~_

**Skull:** guys 

**Skull:** Kamoshida isn't here today, Kawakami said he’s apparently placed himself under suspension.

**Crow:** Really?

**Panther:** could he...

**Joker:** the principle went to see him, he was apparently not making sense.

**Crow:** Okay so he's still alive. This means that the change of heart might have worked.

**Panther:** I really hope it did, he needs to admit what he did to Shiho.

**Joker:** how is she by the way? I know you've been going to see her.

**Panther:** still in a coma, doctors aren't sure when she'll regain consciousness.

**Crow:** I'll personally see to that Kamoshida is put away for life.

**Panther:** thx Crow

**Crow:** no problem

**Skull:** holy shit he didn't capitalize the n in 'no'

**Crow:** it gets annoying having to remember to do that.

**Panther:** anyways, how much did you get for that medal?

**Joker:** 30,000 yen

**Crow:** SERIOUSLY?!

**Panther: **you got that much for a fake?!

**Joker:** according to Iwai that's how much it was worth.

**Joker:** Skull thinks we should celebrate after the change of heart is confirmed.

**Crow:** SUSHI! LET'S GO FOR SUSHI!

**Panther: **someone's excited. 

**Crow:** shush I really like sushi okay

**Crow:** come on~ we wouldn't have to cheap out on it with that much~

**Joker:** i think 30,000 is a little much to spend on just sushi.

**Skull:** joker has a point crow.

**Crow: **:(

**Joker:** great, now he's pouting.

**Panther:** I have a place in mind, me and Shiho have wanted to go for a while but could never get enough to go.

**Panther:** it also has sushi if Crow is so determined to eat sushi.

**Crow:** Panther I love you~

**Skull:** I thought you were gay.

**Crow:** quiet Skull

**Joker:** i don't want to be forced to interact with a bunch of people...

**Panther:** don't worry about that, it's mostly full of rich people so they'll probably ignore us anyways.

**Joker:** alright, then i guess it's fine.

**Panther:** great! I'll check the prices later.

**Crow:** now that that's settled.

**Crow:** class time everyone! are you asking to get beaned with a piece of chalk?

**Crow: **no more texting until after school.

**Joker:** fine...

**Crow:** CLASS JOKER

* * *

"Do you really think it worked?" Mishima asked, poking at his lunch. "We did all we could. Now we can only wait." I said with a sigh. I passed Morgana a slice of fish from his space in my desk. "It'll work, I'm sure it will. We took the Treasure and had the shadow return to it's real self so I'm sure it worked." He said, taking the fish. Mishima sighed and rubbed his arm. "I understand the concept of what you guys did in there but what if something happened to the shadow after it returned?" He questioned. After I had told Mishima about the Metaverse I took him there to show him that I wasn't lying. As a result he could understand Morgana who could only be heard by people who have been in the Metaverse.

"I doubt something happened to the shadow but we can't be sure of anything yet." I said. "How long does a change of heart take! Come on, just confess already." Ann hissed. "All we can do now is wait, the results of our work will show eventually." Morgana said. "I hope it shows before Golden Week." Ryuji mumbles. "Hey Akira? You said that you and Goro have known about the Metaverse for two years right?" Mishima asked. "Yeah but we had no idea how to change a heart until Morgana told us how." I said. "What about a mental shutdown? That happens after you kill a shadow right? Have you ever figured that out?" He questioned. I shook my head. "We did it once by accident. We didn't even realize the consequences until we heard that the person who's shadow we killed had died..." I said softly.

"What?!" Morgana yowled. "Dude how did you do that by accident?" Ryuji asked. "Everything happened so fast... Goro lost control for a minute at most and..." I grimaced, the final cries of the shadow echoing through my mind. Paired with it was Goro crazed laughter and my own panicked shouts. "We were just trying to understand what we had stumbled upon. It was only a few weeks after we discovered the Metaverse existed. Goro didn't have a lot of practice using his persona. We were in shock so at first we tried to pretend it never happened. But when we learned that they died... we made sure to remember what would happen if we killed another shadow..." I spoke barely above a whisper. I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. 

"Did you guys ever figure out when it happened?" Ryuji asked. "No, we were too shocked to look into it more then we already had." I said. "Akira, why are you saying 'we'? You didn't have a persona at the time, you awakened in Kamoshida's castle." Ryuji said. "Goro was afraid of using his persona, at the time it was too powerful for him to handle. I was there for his own safety, so that I could snap him out of it if he lost control. We barely understood how the Metaverse worked but we knew that it was dangerous to navigate. I... I should have been able to stop him." I hiccuped. "We stumbled upon a place, there was only that shadow there. Goro tried to talk to it but it screamed at us and flung me across the room. I couldn't stop him in time. He killed it, completely unaware of what he just did." I was shaking now. 

"Akira... there was nothing you could have done. Neither of you meant for it to happen, you had no idea what you had gotten into." Morgana said with a soft tone. I got up from my seat and left the room. I quickly found a bathroom and locked myself in a stall where I curled up and began to sob. _I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry._

* * *

_Goro's POV (two years ago)_

_"Oh god, what are we going to do! Someone will find out about what we did!" Akira was hyperventilating, I couldn't believe that the person had actually died. I grabbed Akira's shoulders and shook him. I needed to keep a level head, for him. "Keep it together Akira! It was an accident. Besides no one will find out, we're the only two that can access that other world. No one will know." I said. "We k-killed them... w-we killed them..." He hiccupped. "No, Akira don't do that to yourself. **I** killed them, I was the one that killed the shadow. You didn't do anything." I said firmly. I couldn't let him beat himself up because of what I did. "I was supposed to stop you! I was there to make sure you didn't lose control! I'm just as responsible as you are!" He howled. I held his face in my hands, making sure he was looking me in the eyes. "Akira, stop. You couldn't do anything, you were helpless in the entire situation. I should have never dragged you into the Metaverse to begin with. Akira, I'm sorry." I whispered._

_I should have never involved him, I should have kept him out of it, saved him instead of throwing him into the same mess as me."We killed them. We killed them." He hiccupped. I held him as he continued to mumbled. "We killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them we killed them" My arms tightened around Akira. "I swear, this wouldn't happen again. We'll be careful next time. We'll **never** cause another mental shutdown. This was a valuable lesson, we'll never make the same mistake again. I swear Akira..." I mumbled into his ear. I ran my fingers through his hair as he continued to mumble over and over again. _'I can't let him see something like this happen again. The guilt of this one person is already weighting on him so heavily. Never again, this wouldn't happen again. Unless Akira's in danger I'll never kill another person's shadow.' _I rubbed his back, hoping in vain that it'll help him calm down._

** _'So you've assigned yourself as his protector? I understand, he's already made such a huge impact on your life. But you can't protect him from the dangers that surround him forever, like a foal he needs to find his own two feet to stand_ _ on.' _ ** _I looked at the trickster god, only visible to me outside the Metaverse. I knew what he was saying was true, despite my desire to shield Akira from all the horrible in the world I couldn't keep helping him. He'd need to fight his own battles at some point, but I'd help as much as I could. Anything for the light in my world of darkness._

_I am thou, thou art I,_

_Thou has acquired a new vow,_

_It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of _ _captivity_

_With the birth of the **Fool**Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

** _[Fool Rank 3]_ **

* * *

_Still Goro's POV (Present day)_

When I got out of school I immediately got a text for Ryuji. When I read it I hopped on my bike and made haste for Shujin.

**Ryuji:** hey we need your help, Akira has locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out. he's really bad, I think he's having a panic attack.

I raced inside the building and immediately spotted Ryuji. "Where is he?" I asked. "In here, he went in at lunch and hasn't come out since. Mishima has been trying to get him to open the door but no luck." Ryuji led me inside the bathroom, it was easy to tell where Akira was. Mishima was still trying to convince him to open the door. I immediately ran over and put my hands on the door. "Aki, my _haruki_ please open to door. I'm here now Aki." I heard a whimper from inside the stall followed by the a sob. "Aki, please. I want to help you _haruki_." After a few moments I heard the door latch click open. I immediately opened the door and plopped myself down next to Akira, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay, you're okay. Nothing is going to happen to you." I whispered.

"We- we never should have entered the Metaverse that day." He hiccuped. I knew right away what he was talking about. "We couldn't have known what would happen, it's my fault for dragging you in there with me. I should have never done that _haruki_." I muttered. "I-I would have found out about the Metaverse anyways, you just let me find out in a safer way." Akira muttered into my shoulder. "I should have never let you see that..." I whispered. "Don't blame yourself Goro. I offered to go with you so that you didn't lose control." Akira said softly, clearly calming down. "Yeah, and look where we ended up." I muttered softly. “We’re closer now though, closer then we were before.” Akira muttered. “Yeah...” I said softly, placing my face in his hair. “Yeah, we are. But we still have a long way to go.” Akira made a sound at that but didn’t disagree.

”Come on, we should explain to Kawakami why you skipped the rest of your classes.” I said, standing up. Akira looked up and at everyone else who was there. “Did I really skip the rest of the day?” He asked. “Yeah, we convinced her to let us look for you. Ryuji got here after class let out.” Ann said. “And I convinced these two dumbasses to contact Goro and let him know what was going on. They thought he might kill them for letting you out of their sight so I did it myself.” Ryuji said. "H-hey! You can't blame us! A-Akechi-kun is very scary when he wants to be!" Mishima said.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Don't worry, Akira always runs off when he starts having a panic attack. You at least thought to inform me of the problem and located him when you noticed he wasn't in class." I said. They all nodded and Ryuji looked outside the bathroom. "The halls are pretty clear right now, let's go tell Kawakami-sensei what happened." He said. So I helped Akira to his feet and we began the journey to his classroom where Kawakami was waiting. She looked slightly annoyed at first but when she saw Akira, still shaking from the panic attack and maybe a little fear of getting yelled at, her expression changed to that of concern.

"What happened?" Was her first question. "Akira-kun was having a panic attack when we found him. We thought we could calm him down before the day ended but he's just now calmed down. We're sorry that we didn't think to come and tell you." Mishima said. Kawakami sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't say that wasn't true because Akira was still shaking rather violently and was clearly exhausted, clearly the lingering effects of a horrible panic attack. "Please inform me right away if this happens again." With several 'yes ma'am's we left Shujin, outside the gate Akira leaned against me more. "I'll take you home, I'm gonna guess that she called Sojiro after a while so I should be there to explain since you clearly don't feel like talking." I said. Akira mumbled a quiet 'thanks' which was the only thing he said as I lead him to the train station.

* * *

"Is he okay? What happened?" Those were the first words out of Sakura's mouth when he saw Akira. He was still shaking as we entered the café which immediately drew the man's attention. "He... had a panic attack during school. He's calming down so there's nothing to worry about." I said. Sakura looked over Akira before nodding to the stairs. "Might as well get him up there while you're here." He said. I nodded and took Akira up the stairs and to the attic where he was staying, I set the bag with Morgana in it on the table next to the stairs and the cat swiftly climbed out. He had been in the classroom for the entire panic attack so he was fairly worried about Akira because he didn't fully know how bad it was or how Akira was doing.

“I wish I could have helped.” Mona whispered sitting down on the table. I helped Akira onto his bed where he laid down and quickly fell asleep. Morgana seemed upset because he hadn’t been helpful to Akira during his time of need. My phone buzzed so I checked it, there was a text from Sae.

**Sae-san:** I need some help with a case, when can you get here?

I sighed and worried my lip, Akira didn’t handle panic attacks very well so I usually stay with him after if I can but Sae clearly needed my help. I looked at Morgana and decided that he might as well help. “Hey Morgana, can you do something for me?” I asked. The cat perked up. “Sure, what is it?” He asked, jumping from the table and walking over. “Akira doesn’t handle well after a panic attack, I usually stay with him but I have to go. Can you watch him for me? Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself?” I asked. “He doesn’t handle well as in…?” “He gets nightmares, bad ones. There are times he wouldn’t get them but more often then not he’ll have them. You’ll have to wake him up if he starts having one and you’ll need to calm him down after.” I explain. Morgana nods and leaps onto the bed, curling up against Akira’s side. 

“I can do that, go on.” He said. “Thanks Morgana, I’ll get you tuna or something as a reward.” I said. He smiled at me and huffed quietly. “You don’t need to do that but I wouldn’t stop you. I’ll use Akira’s phone to text you to report if anything happens.” He said, pawing the phone out of Akira’s pocket. “Thanks, see you later.” I said. I trotted down the stairs and entered the café again where Sakura was waiting. “How is he?” The man asked. “Asleep, Morgana’s watching over him for the night. I would usually stay after such a bad panic attack but I have to go.” I said. Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Detective work?” 

I nodded. “Thanks for taking him in and caring for him. Good-bye.” I then left the café, silently dreading a text coming from Morgana as I pulled out my phone to message Sae. 

**Akechi:** I can be there in about half an hour. I apologize, I was helping a friend.

**Sae-san:** No worries, just get here as soon as you can.

**Akechi: **Thank you for understanding.

**Sae-san: **No problem.

I tucked my phone away again as I ran for the train station, hoping I would be able to catch the next train before I ended up waiting for one and making Sae wait longer than needed.

* * *

**Aki:** it’s morgana, Akira has been fine so far and hasn’t had a nightmare. Chef came up and woke him so he’d eat something not long ago. 

I let out a sigh as I read Morgana’s message. _ ‘Thank goodness, at least he’s good so far.’ _ I thought. **‘The cat is a great help in making sure he’s okay. He should be fine for the night.’** Robin Hood whispered softly. _ ‘Yeah, I trust Morgana to take care of Akira.’ _ I told the persona. 

**Dt GoGo:** thanks mona, make sure to keep an eye on him throughout the night and let me know if something happens.

**Aki:** i can do that, i’ll let you know if something else happens

**Dt GoGo:** thanks

**Aki: **no problem GoGo

**Dt GoGo:** hey! only Akira is allowed to call me GoGo! >:(

**Aki:** (=^ω^=)

I sighed as I tucked my phone away, knowing that Sae would probably ask one I was talking to. “Who was that?” She asked only a moment later. “A friend.” I said simply. She raised an eyebrow so with a soft groan I began to explain. “My best friend had an panic attack at school and after he might get nightmares. You contacted me so I knew I had to go so I asked them to watch him for the night.” Sae frowned gently at that. “Sorry I pulled you away from your friend but I needed you.” She said. “It’s fine, according to my friend he’s doing fine so far.” I said. “Well that’s good to hear. Now let’s get back to work.” I nodded and looked back down at the case file. _ ‘Akira’s fine. He has Morgana, he’ll be okay.’_

* * *

**Aki:** okay so Akira had a small nightmare but he’s doing okay. I woke him up like you told me to and he’s calming down now, not sure when he’ll go back to sleep.

That was not the kind of text I wanted to get from Morgana went I was having trouble sleeping. Then again when haven’t I had trouble sleeping?

**Dt GoGo:** are you sure? should I come over?

**Aki:** no, he says he’s fine and that you shouldn’t worry and go to sleep.

**Dt GoGo:** I’ll bike all the way there if I have to! are you sure he’s okay?

**Aki:** yeah, he’s fine just a little spooked by the nightmare.

**Aki:** by the way he wants me to remind you to think about where you bike is.

I looked over to where I usually put it and I remembered exactly where it was.

**Dt GoGo:** fuuuucccck

**Dt GoGo: **I left it outside the gates at Shujin!

**Aki:** you’re gonna have to get it tomorrow. that is if someone hasn’t stolen it.

**Dt GoGo:** god fuck damnit. how did I forget something so important!

**Aki:** Akira’s wondering if you ate dinner by the way.

**Dt GoGo:** um… I don’t think so.

**Aki: **“take better care of yourself damn it! Eat something before the night is done or I’ll somehow convince Sojiro to let me stay the night at your place so I can make sure you do.” -Akira

**Dt GoGo:** tell Akira to watch his language

**Dt GoGo:** I’ll go find something, I’m sure I have something laying around my cabinets.

**Aki:** good, Akira’s starting to look tired so goodnight, you should go to bed too soon.

**Dt GoGo:** don’t worry I’ll try.

With that I closed the messenger app and stood up, I did need to eat something after all. Maybe I can find one of the chocolate bars that I’ve got stashed away.

* * *

_ ~group chat: _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Heart~_ **

**Joker:** so how is everyone today?

**Skull:** fine

**Panther:** i’m okay

**Crow:** someone please end my suffering…

**Skull:** dude are you ok?

**Crow:** adults say kids are hard to deal with but you’ve never been my position. adults are a pain to deal with.

**Joker: **are you in a meeting right now?

**Crow:** yes

**Skull:** shouldn’t you be paying attention then?

**Crow:** they’re talking about budget funding, I don’t even need to be here for this but Sae-san insistes I be here.

**Panther:** you always scold us for texting during class.

**Crow: **education is important, this isn’t.

**Joker:** anyways, what have you all eaten for breakfast?

**Skull:** oatmeal

**Panther:** a breakfast bar before i left the house this morning.

**Crow: **...

**Joker:** crow? have you eaten yet?

**Crow:** …

**Joker:** Goro

**Crow:** I was in a rush okay?! the meeting was very last minute to me. I didn’t have time to grab something to eat on the train.

**Joker:** you have such bad eating habits

**Crow:** it’s not my fault I got called to this last minute!

“Akechi.” I flinched and looked over to see Sae glaring at me. 

**Crow:** SHIT! Sae-san noticed that I have my phone out! I have to go!

I quickly closed the messaging app and tucked my phone away. “You need to pay attention, this involves you too you know.” She said. “I don’t need to know about the budget, I cover most of my own costs anyway.” I whined. “Don’t complain, you take what you’re given. You’re a lot luckier than I am.” Sae said. “It’s just so boring, I would honestly prefer to be in class right now.” I said. “Just bear with it for a little while longer, it’s nearly over.” She whispered to me. I groaned but managed to pay attention to what was being said. _ ‘I wonder if the change of heart really worked. Besides Kamoshida not being at school we haven’t gotten any signs.’ _ I thought to myself.

**‘I’m sure it’s fine, the shadow returned to the person and we took the Treasure. It most likely worked.’** Loki said. _ ’Thank you for the words of encouragement.’ _ I huffed at the persona. My phone kept vibrating in my pocket but I knew that if I pulled it out Sae would most likely take it from me and I didn’t want her seeing the text conversations for the past month or so. _ ‘I can’t wait for this meeting to be done with so I can get back to my friends.’ _ I thought to myself. I only briefly wondered when I started considering Ann and Ryuji my friends.

* * *

“Any news about Kamoshida?” I asked holding the phone to my ear. _ “Besides that he’s take a leave of absence nothing. Ryuji’s hoping that’ll he confess before Golden Week so that we can use that time to celebrate.” _ Akira was on the other side of the line. I could hear the tapping of keys as he spoke. “What are you doing?” I asked. _ “Huh? Oh, I’m doing research. I was curious so I started looking into Kamoshida’s past. He really did win a gold metal in the Olympics, but nothing noteable concerning the schools he taught for before coming to Shujin.” _ Akira said. “Nothing? Really? No reports about the physical abuse or sexual harassment?” I asked. _ “Nothing, not even before he won that metal. I guess getting that metal really did distort his desires in a way.” _ Akira sighed. 

“Are the others aware you’re doing research?” I asked. _ “Oh yeah, Mishima is helping me do some digging and Ryuji is playing a video game while him and Ann keep me company. So yeah, they know.” _ The tone in Akira’s voice showed the fondness he held for our new friends. “Glad they’re in the loop, tell them I said hi.” I chuckled. _ “Okay. Goro says hi guys.” “ _ ** _Is that him on the other line? Hey put him on speaker!_ ** _ ” _ I laughed softly as I clearly heard Ryuji. I heard Akira shifting around before he set the phone down. _ “Okay, Goro your on speaker now.” _ He said. “Hey everyone, I’m guessing you’re all at Leblanc?” I said. ** _“Yeah, Akira wanted to do some research about Kamoshithead and we didn’t want to be left out even if we don’t have experience with computers.”_ ** Ryuji said. 

“Ryuji you are very loud, I could hear you clearly without the phone on speaker.” I chuckled. ** _“Yeah but I don’t hear you complaining.”_ ** I could practically see the impish smile I knew was probably on the bottle blonde’s face. “The loudness just adds to this weird charm you have, at first it was annoying but I actually quite like it.” I laughed. _ “Hey Goro where are you right now? If you come over we can totally have a little get together.” _ Ann chirped. I sighed as I spun around in my chair. “I’m still stuck at work unfortunately, I wish I could hang out.” I groaned. ** _“Can’t you just leave? They can’t really stop you.”_ ** Ryuji asked. I glanced at the clock and saw there was about ten minutes before my shift officially ended. I hummed. “I mean…. they probably wouldn’t care if I left ten minutes early…” I muttered. “They wouldn’t, I can cover for you.” I jerked and looked at Sae. She was grinning slyly as she looked pointedly at my phone. I grinned at the silver haired woman and bend down to grab my briefcase. “Thanks Sae-san. I can be there soon guys.” I said.

** _“Hell yeah! See you soon Goro!” _ ** _ “Get here fast Goro!” _ _ “Mishima wants me to tell you that he picked up your bike and brought it here by the way.” _ “Tell him thank you, see you soon.” I said. I hung up the phone before rushing out the door, heading for the train station to catch the next train to Yogen-Jinga. My foot tapping impatiently as I waited for the train, I kept tapping it as I was on the train,waiting for my stop to be announced. When I finally got to Leblanc I waved at Sakura before shooting up the stairs to the attic. I practically tackled Ryuji onto the bed because he was the first person I saw. “Gah! Goro! What the hell man?!” He said once I was off him. “Sorry, I’m just glad to see a person I don’t have to be polite to.” I said with a chuckle. “Well we’re glad to see you too buddy.” Ryuji said ruffling my hair.

I laughed and smoothed out my hair before greeting Ann and Mishima. “So how has the research been going?” I asked sitting down on the bed, petting Morgana. “So far it’s confirmed that the medal started the distorted but there might have been other factors next to that.” Akira said. “Really? How so?” I asked. “It’s difficult to explain but it looks like he might have been having all the people teaching him this stuff pushing their expectations on him. That’s no excuse but it could explain how getting the medal distorted his desires to the level we saw.” Akira said. I hummed as Morgana leaned against my hand. “So he might have been pushed towards the Olympics but actually getting the medal was a huge ego boost that no one managed to smack down after.” I muttered. 

“Still no excuse for how he behaved.” Ryuji said. “Of course not, but it explains it a little bit.” I said. “Do you really think the change of heart worked?” Ann asked. “We stole the Treasure and destroyed the Palace. I’m sure it worked, we just have to wait for his confession.” Morgana said. “When do you think he’ll confess?” I asked. The cat shrugged as best as he could. “It’ll happen when it’ll happen. But I think it’ll happen sooner rather than later.” He said. “So we just have to play the waiting game then?” Akira asked. Morgana nodded and Ryuji groaned. “I hope it’s before Golden Week, that’s the perfect time to celebrate our victory.” The bottle blonde said. “How is Shiho doing? Any signs she’ll wake up?” I asked changing the topic. “Not so far but it looks like she’ll pull through which is good.” Ann said. Mishima sighed from his place and looked at her guiltily. “I wish I had done something about him sooner, maybe then she’d be alright.” He said.

“It’s fine, you decided to help once you saw the chance. He’ll pay for what he did to Shiho.” Ann said, smiling lightly. Mishima shuttered lightly at that. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.” He said. “So if this works…” We all looked at Ryuji. “...wanna keep doing it?” He asked with an impish grin on his face. I hummed biting my lip. “I don’t know. Is it really all right to keep this up? Sure no one but us knows about the Metaverse that we know of but is it morally right? We’re doing stuff to people against their will.” I said. “Goro, if we hadn’t done anything to Kamoshida than he would have kept going. We had to stop him before he went too far.” Akira said. “Yeah, besides we can give other guys like us who were suffering under people like that courage to stand up for themselves.” Ann said. 

“I think they have the right idea, we have this power Goro. What better way to use it than to help others in situations like ours?” Akira said. I thought about it for a bit before sighing softly. “If… if the change of heart really worked then we’ll keep working as the Phantom Thieves.” I said. “I don’t like the idea of picking a target out of the blue though.” Ann said. “Then we’ll pick someone we can all agree on. That sound good?” Akira asked. “Yeah, I like that! Makes us seem like a real group.” Ryuji said. Mishima smiled and then hummed. “We should have a secret sign, one that is only known by the Phantom Thieves and people with direct contact with them.” He said. “You meant something we’d all have? Wouldn’t that be too obvious?” Akira asked. “Then let’s use two completely different things. Things that you wouldn’t even put together when you thought about them.” I suggested. 

Akira looked up at the ceiling, all of us following his eyes to see star scattered around the area. “Stars…” Ann whispered. I looked out the window and saw a blue butterfly land on the seal. “And butterflies.” I said. “Stars because they always stand out against the dark and butterflies because in a way they represent freedom.” Ryuji said. “I like it! They can be on completely different items too.” Mishima said. “I can pay for them. I get quite a bit from interviews on TV.” I said with a smile. “Are we sure no one would notice them?” Ann asked. “If they did they wouldn’t think much of them, they’re just decorated items after all. Everyone has something like that.” I said. “That’s very true. We can even give Morgana something because that’s just something people do for their animals so no one would find it odd.” Akira said.

“Yeah! But should we really leave Goro to pay for them all on his own?” Ann asked. I waved my hand at the comment. “It’s fine, it’s not that much. Besides I want to.” I said. Ryuji frowned. “Really? We don’t want you spending a whole lot on us.” He said. “I want to spoil my friends so let me do it. I promise it’s not a big deal.” I said, already having an idea of what I wanted to buy them all in my head. I would definitely be needing to custom order some stuff but they didn’t need to know that. Akira looked at me and sighed. “Fine, just don’t go overboard.” He said. “Sure thing.” I said with a smile. “So, who would be the leader?” Ryuji questioned. We all turned to Akira. “M-me? W-why me?” He asked, a pink tint entering his cheeks. “Dude during the fight with Kamoshida you flipping took over! When you made an order I followed without problem not only because when you bark orders it puts the fear of god in me but I knew it was probably the best thing to do because you’re smart. When you strategize it makes battle child’s play.” Ryuji said.

“What he said! You’re honestly probably the one here best fit for the leader role.” Ann said. “I agree, besides being the leader could teach you some confidence.” I said. Akira sighed, still blushing. “I-if you guys think so then okay. I’ll lead if you really want me to.” He said. We all cheered and I gave Akira a hug. “I’ll get started on getting our symbols ready to wear. They wouldn’t all be the same thing but I think we’ll all enjoy them.” I said. “I checked the prices at the buffet I told you guys about by the way, we’ll all be able to go with the money we got from the medal.” Ann chipped in. “Sweet! Once the change of heart is confirmed let’s figure out when we want to go.” Ryuji said. “Maybe if Kamoshida confesses before Golden Week we can go on Children’s Day? Does that’s sound good?” I asked. “I’m good with that.” Ryuji said. Everyone else voiced they’re agreement and I smiled. “Alright, if he confesses before Golden Week let’s go on Children’s Day.” I said.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“I wonder what Goro is up to right now.” Morgana muttered from inside my bag. “Whatever it is I hope he remembers to eat.” I sighed. My best friend always made such a bad habit of forgetting meals when he’s tangled up with something. I was waiting for the train with Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, and Mishima when Goro suddenly appeared. “Hey guys!” He chirped happily. “I thought you usually bike to school?” Ann asked raising an eyebrow. “I do but I decided to take the train today so I could give you guys these.” He said holding up a plastic bag. “Are those the symbols we talked about? We were talking about they a few days ago how did you get them so fast?” I asked, knowing Goro probably custom ordered some stuff. “I might have put in a rush order but that doesn’t matter.” Goro said waving off the issue. 

He held open the bag and we peeked inside. Ryuji immediately plucked up the pair of headphones with stars on the ear parts. "I claim these! I love stuff like this. Mom is constantly having to save up so she can buy me a new pair when I eventually wear out my current pair." He said placing them around his neck and plugging the jack into his phone. "There's only stars in here." Ann pointed out. "The butterflies haven’t arrived just yet." Goro said. Ann plucked up a box and flipped it open revealing a pair of star earrings. "Oh! Those are perfect for you Ann!" I said. She chuckled and remove the earrings she was wearing and replaced them with the star ones. Mishima pulled out a pencil case with yellow stars on it and another box he opened to reveal a star ring. 

"Here Akira, I think you're the kind of person that would like rings." He said, passing me the ring. I pulled the ring out of the box and easily slipped it onto my middle finger. "Where's your star?" I asked Goro. He smiled softly and stretched out his leg allowing his pants leg to pull up and reveal the anklet made up of stars. "That is so cute. Guess you got first pick huh?" Ann said. “Yeah, and look what I got for Morgana!” Out of the bag Goro pulled out a red bandana covered in yellow stars. The cat meowed happily as Goro tied it around his neck in a way that would be easy for him to slip it on and off. “We should get going, our train will be here soon.” Mishima said. I nodded and gave Goro a wave. “Talk to you after school okay?” He nodded and we went our separate ways.

* * *

“God waiting around is so boring. And nerve wracking. Are we sure it worked?” Ryuji asked glancing around the classroom. “We can’t be sure until he confesses which could really be any day now. We just have to keep laying low.” I told him. Mishima looked around the room, clutching his star pencil case like a lifeline. “I wish there was a way to know without waiting. Maybe we can visit him?” Ann suggested. “That would look bad, let’s just keep waiting.” I said. Ann sighed but nodded. “You’re right, it’s just hard to remind myself that we can’t take chances.” She said. “If anyone was to find out what we did then we’d be as good as dead. We can’t connect ourselves to Kamoshida more than we already have.” I said. “He’s right, all the police would need would be circumstantial evidence and that would be enough to arrest us. They would probably even try to force a confession out of us.” Mishima said.

“Exactly, we can’t risk being caught.” I said. They didn’t complain after that. They knew that I was right, we had to be careful. Even though there was no way anyone could know about what we did without prior knowledge of the Metaverse if the police locked onto us for suspects then we were toast. We just had to be careful.

* * *

“I have the butterflies!” Goro announced trotting up the stairs of Leblanc. We all watched as he walked over to the table and set the bag down. Morgana immediately stuck his head in the bag and pulled out a butterfly tag that would fit on his collar. Chuckling Goro put it on his collar and the cat purred happily. Ryuji took out a phone case that had a blue butterfly on it and smiled as he put it on his phone. Ann giggled as she slipped on a choker with a butterfly design. Mishima thanked Goro as he put on a wrist band with butterflies on it. Goro was beaming as he pulled out a hoodie that had a butterfly on the back. “Here Akira, I know you like hoodies.” He said as he passed it to me. I smiled as I slipped it on and looked at Goro.

His brunette hair was being held back by a hair tie that had an ornamental butterfly on it. He always looks nice with his hair pulled back...

* * *

_ “What’s with the sudden morning assembly?” _

_ “I bet it’s about that girl who jumped the other day.” _

_ “Seriously? They don’t have to tell us not to commite suicide.” _

_ “There was also all those weird calling cards so I guess the teachers are freaking out.” _

_ “Is this going to take long?” _

_ “I feel like I’m gonna fait.” _

Ann was glaring in the direction of the whispers about her best friend, I could understand why she was being defencive. “It’s alright, they don’t know about why she did it yet.” I whispered to her. “I know, I just wish they would stop spreading rumors.” She muttered to me. “Yeah, you and me both.” Ryuji said in a very hushed tone. “We’ll be away from it soon, the holiday starts right after today.” Mishima whispered. “Thank god for that.” Ann mumbled. We heard the microphone turn on so we all turned to see principal Kobayakawa on the stage. He started to talk about how Shiho’s attempted suicide was a tradigity and how it shouldn’t be repeated and how we should rethink the values of our lives when the door to the gym opened.

Everyone turned their heads to see who it was and my breath caught in my throat when I saw Kamoshida standing there, head hung low and guilt written across every line on his face. _ ‘Is this it? Is he going to confess?’ _ I pulled out my phone and immediately began to record. “I… have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all.” The man said. _ ‘Holy shit, he’s actually doing it. Is he really going to confess in front of the entire school?’ _ My heart was pounding in my chest as Kamoshida walked onto the stage. Once on the stage he began to speak. “I have repeatedly done things that were unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students, physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason Shiho Suzui tried to commit suicide.” The man fell to his knees.

The disgusted whispering around me made my heart sore. _ ‘They know now, they know why Shiho tried to kill herself.’ _ I wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that I was recording the whole thing. “I saw this school as my own castle… I had another student leak the record of Akira Kurusu, simply because I didn’t like him. I also tried to force Takamaki-san into having relations so Suzui could have a place on the team. I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts… I am a shallow, arrogant, and shameful person. Probably worse than that. I should be punished under the law for such crimes. As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor… and turn myself in. Someone please call the police!” 

_ “What?! The police?! Is he serious?!” _

_ “Does that mean that Phantom Thieves thing was for real?” _

_ “I can’t believe he would do stuff like this!” _

_ “Ugh, he is the worse!” _

_ “The transfer student isn’t even hiding the fact that he’s recording all this.” _

_ “He does have a reason to be pissed off at Kamoshida, he did have someone leak his record after all.” _

“This assembly is over! Return to your classes at once!” A teacher cried, trying to control everyone. “You going to send that to Goro?” Mishima asked. “Hell yeah, he deserves to hear this as much as we do.” I said. Since the confession was clearly over I stopped the recording and put my phone away. “So he really did have a change of heart…” Ryuji muttered. “He also admitted that he was forcing himself on you so those weird rumors about you might just go away.” I said. “We made him apologize for Shiho, that’s all that matters to me.” She said. “He also confessed to having your record leaked, things might get easier for you now.” Ryuji said. I huffed and shook my head. “That doesn’t matter, it still exists and as long as everyone thinks I’m guilty then it’ll never go away.” I said. Mishima sighed. "True, as long as his record is around the rumors about him will never go away." He said.

"What if we tell the school he's best friends with Goro Akechi? Will that help the rumors?" Ryuji said. "Honestly that might make the rumors worse." I said with a frown on my face. We fell silent for a bit before Ryuji spoke up. "You should go visit Shiho, tell her the good news." He said looking at Ann. She smiled and then looked at me. “I think I shouldn’t go alone, mind coming with me Akira?” She asked. “Y-you mean t-to the hospital? W-with you? To see S-Suzui? I-I’m not so sure…” I said. Ann smiled softly. “As far as I know she’ll still be in a coma but I want you there to properly meet her, you are my friend after all.” She said. I bit my lip as I twirled a lock of hair around my finger. “I-I mean if you really want to…” I mumbled.

“Positive, let’s go.” She said with a smile on her face.

* * *

“She looks so peaceful…” I muttered from my place at the door. It looked like Suzui was sleeping, which I guess she was, in a way that is. I couldn’t see her face when she jumped off the roof but I had a feeling it was similar to the one she had now. “You can come closer you know? It wouldn’t hurt.” Ann said from her place at Suzui’s side. “N-no, you’re her best friend. I don’t really belong over there.” I muttered. Ann frowned but I was saved by my phone ringing. I pulled it out and saw Goro’s contact. “It’s Goro, knowing him it would be wise of me to take this so I’ll be right outside.” I said. I walked out into the hall where I answered the phone and put it to my ear. “Hey GoGo, how’s it going?” I asked. _ “Ryuji told me that Ann dragged you to the hospital to stay with her and Suzui. How’s it going?” _ He asked.

“She’s still in the coma, I honestly don’t know why she dragged me here. We didn’t even talk to each other.” I said. _ “Give her a chance Aki, you might just like her.” _ Goro said. “She’s in a coma Goro, she can’t really judge me like that.” I said. Ann suddenly stuck her head out of the room. “Akira, Shiho is awake.” She then disappeared into the room again. “I-I have to go.” I said before hanging up the phone. I peeked into the room and saw Suzui’s eyes lock onto me from her bed. I whimpered softly as I peeked at her from the doorway. Suzui looked at Ann. “Is that…” Ann nodded. “He’s a friend of mine, he’s not like the rumors say he is. Not like you would care about them anyway.” She said. 

_ Shiho’s POV _

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, the infamous transfer student that seemed to give no shits about what other people said about him was barely peeking into my hospital room. He wasn’t wearing the glasses he was always seen in revealing his soft grey eyes and the soft black curls gave him a near innocent and childlike look. Ann motioned to him, smiling softly. “It’s okay Akira, come on in. She wouldn’t bite.” I smiled gently at Akira and he flinched ever so slightly. After a few moments he began to approach but stayed near the door. “Come on Akira, she’s my friend. That kinda makes her your’s by default.” Ann giggled. Akira still looked very unsure but he came over and sat down in the chair next to Ann. It took a bit before he looked me in the face.

“Um… K-Kamoshida…” I flinched and Akira looked down again. “Um, h-he uh… he c-confessed.” Akira mumbled. “Confessed?” I asked, very confused. “I-I recorded the whole thing. I-if you want to see it.” He said, still talking very softly. I nodded so Akira brought out his phone and brought up a video. After a bit, he began to play it. I actually couldn’t believe what I was hearing, Kamoshida confessed to what he did and he admitted to being the one that let Akira’s record get out. The poor guy has been suffering because of what Kamoshida did to him. “I’m glad he confessed to everything.” I said looking at Ann. I turned to Akira. “How are you doing? Before I left the rumors about you were pretty bad.” I remember clearly all the whispers about him.

“I-I’m fine, just glad you’re awake.” He mumbled. I smiled at the boy and was surprised when a black cat stuck it’s head out of Akira’s bag. “Ah! Morgana we’re still in the hospital! Get back inside! I-I don’t want to get kicked out for bringing a cat!” Akira stuttered as he placed a hand on Morgana’s head and pushed it very gently back inside the bag. “What’s a cat doing in your school bag?” I asked. “He’s an emotional support animal. We just haven’t told the school or hospital about him.” Ann answered for Akira. I nodded at the simple explanation and allowed a small yawn to escape me. “Y-you should rest Suzui-chan, you’ve been through a lot.” Akira said softly. I nodded and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

_ ~group chat: _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Joker_ ** _ has posted the video _ ** _SK_confession_ ** _ to the chat~ _

**Joker:** it worked, we did it.

**Crow:** YES! TAKE THAT SCUMBAG! WE ARE OFFICIALLY ON FOR THE 5TH

**Skull:** should we do this again?

**Joker:** if you guys want to then i don’t mind.

**Crow:** me neither

**Skull:** good ‘cause I personally don’t want to stop here.

**Panther:** me neither.

**Joker:** suzui has also woken up which is good

**Crow:** HELL YEAH!

**Skull:** that’s awesome!

**Panther:** yeah, her mom is considering having her switch schools once she recovers. people will label her after what happened.

**Crow:** it’s really up to her if she wants to.

**Joker:** yeah, and somehow during our conversation mona became my emotional support cat.

**Crow:** ...

**Crow: **...what?

**Panther:** look she asked why Akira had a cat in his bag so I lied and said Morgana was his emotional support animal. what did you expect me to say?

**Crow:** okay fair point, now we just have to remember that whenever someone asks what’s with the cat.

**Joker:** so that’s just going to be our story?

**Crow:** yup.

**Joker:** okay cool.

**Joker:** anyways it’s getting late and mona is telling me to go to sleep so good night.

**Panther:** night!

**Crow: **good night Aki

**Skull:** gn

I set my phone down and walked across the room to turn off the lights before trotting back to my bed and laying down. Morgana crawled under the covers after a bit and curled against my side. “Good night Akira.” He whispered. I smiled gently and stroked the cat gently. “Good night Morgana.” With those words I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

“-id, kid. Hey kid, wake up.” I groaned softly but allowed one of my eyes to pop open, I was immediately greeted by the sight of a pink sleeve. I looked up and saw Sojiro standing in front of my bed. When he noticed that I was awake a soft smile appeared on his face. “I need a little help in the café, mind lending a hand?” He asked. _‘Naturally that the reason he comes up here to wake me up.’_ **‘There could be another reason too, give your guardian a chance.’** “I-I don’t mind.” I mumbled as I sat upright. Sojiro nodded and left the room so I stood up and began to get dressed. “Do you want me to come down with you? I’m fine with staying up here if you want.” Morgana asked from the bed.

I thought about it and walked over to him. “I honestly would probably feel better with you there.” I said, bending down to pick him up. Morgana didn’t wait and leaped onto the shoulder and settled down there, looking comfortable at his new post. I walked down the stairs with him still perched on my shoulder, this caused Sojiro to raise an eyebrow. “He sure looks comfortable there.” He said. He pretty quickly assigned me to doing the dishes and didn’t make anymore comments about Morgana even as he sat next to the sink as I washed cups and plates. At the end of the day I dried off my hands and Morgana returned to my shoulder but before I could move upstairs Sojiro turned to me. 

“Hey, come ‘ere and I’ll teach you how to make a good pot of coffee.” He said. “Oh. Um, o-okay.” I mumbled before moving to stand next to Sojiro.

* * *

_ Sojiro’s POV _

Akira was a good kid, that I could see. He didn’t complain when asked to do something, he was quiet, followed the rules, just generally a good kid. But he tended to dart out of Leblanc whenever he could, didn’t look me in the eye, and hardly ever spoke above a whisper at times. Not to mention that he always wears long sleeves which is very concerning. It was the next day and he was doing dishes again, Morgana was sitting by the sink just like he was yesterday never leaving the kid’s side. I heard the bell ring so I looked up and saw someone I had actually been hoping to talk to. Sae Niijima walked up to the counter with a small smile on her face. “Good morning Sakura-san.” She greeted. “Morning Niijima-san.” I returned. Akira looked up from the dishes, his grey eyes locking onto Niijima. 

Morgana meowed, looking at Akira who turned back to him and shrugged, whispering a soft ‘maybe’ to the cat. Niijima sat down and I set down a cup of coffee in front of her. “I was wondering if you maybe have some of Wakaba’s research and if I could look at it.” She said. Niijima is always straight to the point. I held up a hand and turned to Akira who had paused. “Hey kid, why don’t you take a walk or hang out with one of your friends?” I suggested. “O-okay.” Morgana hopped onto his shoulder as he moved up to the attic. Pretty soon he was darting out the door. Niijima raised an eyebrow as she stared at the door for a few minutes. “Who was the kid?” She eventually asked. “My ward, Akira Kurusu.” I answered. Niijima kept looking at the door before turning to me. “So about the notes.” I sighed.

“I don’t have any of Wakaba’s notes, sorry. But can you do me a favor? It involves Akira.” I asked. Niijima raised an eyebrow. “What about him?” She asked. “You saw how he acted just now, he does that whenever he can. He barely speaks above a whisper and flinches at the slightest hint of acting violently towards him.” I explained. “So you want me to look into his parents?” Niijima asked, frowning. “I’m just concerned with how he behaves. I have no proof if it’s anxiety after his trial or symptoms of an abuse victim, I just want to make sure he isn’t in a bad situation.” I explained. Niijima was silent for a bit before she nodded. “I’ll look into it.” I smiled. “Thanks, I really appreciate it. Coffee’s on the house today.” She smiled and chuckled. “No problem.”

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

_ ~group chat: _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Crow:** what was Sae-san doing at Leblanc?

**Joker:** i don't know, she mentioned notes and someone named Wakaba and that’s when Sojiro politely told me to leave.

**Skull:** i wonder who Wakaba is

**Panther:** she must have been someone he knew

**Crow:** why don’t you ask him about it?

**Joker:** i don’t want to push my luck, something tells me it’s a sore subject for him.

**Panther:** maybe she was his girlfriend or something and she left?

**Joker:** maybe

**Skull:** i just looked up Wakaba in the news and found something.

**Crow:** really? what did you find?

**Skull:** a new article about a researcher named Wakaba Isshiki.

**Joker:** does it say what might have happened to her?

**Skull:** definitely, if this is the same Wakaba i understand y he might not want to talk about it with u around.

**Panther:** what happened to her?

**Skull:** she died.

**Skull:** according to the article she commited suicide.

**Panther:** what!

**Joker:** jeez, no wonder it’s a sore topic.

**Crow:** …

**Joker:** goro are you okay?

**Crow:** no

**Skull:** what’s the matter?

**Crow:** I just need a minute, or two.

**Joker:** his mom commited suicide.

**Panther:** oh… we can stop talking about this if you want

**Crow:** no, I’m fine. it happened a long time ago after all.

**Skull:** dude that might be true but you’re clearly still hurting.

**Crow:** I… need to go now.

**Skull:** it’s fine, take all the time you need.

**Crow:** okay

“It’s sad that that happened to Goro.” Morgana said softly. “Yeah, what’s worse is that he was the one that found her.” I said. Morgana’s ears folded back. “That’s horrible! Poor Goro.” He said. “Yeah, I came after that happened but I know that it hit him hard. He doesn’t like to talk about her.” I said. “What was her name?” Morgana asked. “Anzu… her name was Anzu.” I whispered to him.

* * *

“Cheers!” We all raised a glass as we sat around a table in the Walton Hotel buffet. After the toast Ryuji, Ann, and Mishima went off to get food while me, Goro, and Morgana watched our stuff. I looked at my friend and gently tapped his knee. “Hey, you okay?” I asked. Goro took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I just got a little lost in thought yesterday. I honestly don’t remember a lot from that day but when Ryuji mentioned that this Wakaba commited suicide… I couldn’t help but think about my mother.” He said. “Are you sure you’re alright? I know you don’t like talking about it but I do know that it effected you greatly.” I said, prodding gently. Tears pricked Goro’s eyes but he still managed to smile at me. “I’m fine _ haruki _, as long as I have you in my life, I know I can push through.” He said. 

I was about to argue that he shouldn’t have to do that when the others returned which meant we could now get food. “We’ll talk more about this later.” I said before I stood up. Goro nodded in understanding as he stood up as well. “I know, now let’s eat. We did come here to enjoy ourselves.”

* * *

“God I’m stuffed. Can’t eat another bite.” Ryuji groaned. “My belt feels multiple sizes too small.” Mishima groaned. “That was a breeze!” I giggled. “Aki I’m fairly sure you’re stomach is the size of a Palace.” Goro huffed from his place next to me. I just chuckled at them as Morgana groaned from inside my bag. It wasn’t often I got to eat this much after all. “Akira probably has the metabolism of a cheetah, let’s be real here.” Ann said, the only other one not sprawled out right now. Ryuji groaned again as he got up. “I need to go to the bathroom.” He said. “Me too, please carry me gently…” Morgana groaned. Goro stood up as well. “I’ll come too.” He said. I scooped up the Mona bag and we started for the bathrooms.

* * *

“At least we made it up here in time.” 

“Why did they have to close the bathrooms on that floor for cleaning?” 

“No idea, which floor was the buffet on?” 

“I think it was the first floor, we came up to get here.” I said easily. Ryuji nodded as he pressed the down button on the elevator. We stood around for a bit before we were shoved out of the way, I fell into Goro who caught and held me. Shido’s voice rang out, arrogant and privileged as always. _ ‘Of course he’s here. Why wouldn’t he come to this place, Ann mentioned most of the customers are rich.’ _ I hissed in my mind, I was ready to throw down with the man. **‘Don’t, how would you explain to Ryuji and Morgana how you know him?’** Arsene said, cuffing me on the back of the head. _ ‘He’s literally right there! He ruined both me and Goro’s lives!’ _ I growled. **‘Do Ryuji and Morgana know that though?’** Arsene huffed. I hated to admit it but Arsene had a point, I hadn’t even told them why I was on probation. 

Goro also hasn’t mentioned that his mom had been raped by his father which was the reason she commited suicide so how would we explain it? **‘Exactly, don’t do anything rash. When the time comes you can tell them, maybe they’ll even help you and Goro with the Palace when the time comes.’** Arsene said. _ ‘I doubt they will for some reason.’ _ I huffed. I corrected myself in Goro’s arms and saw Ryuji was still chewing out the people who pushed us which happened to be Shido’s bodyguards. When they finally got in the elevator I reached forward and grabbed Ryuji’s arm. “Come on, let’s take a different one.” I said gently.

Ryuji growled softly but sighed and nodded. “Okay, yeah let’s go.” He said. So we went to locate a different elevator. 

* * *

“What took you guys so long?” I raised an eyebrow at Ann when she snapped at us. “Woah, what’s got you pissed off? Don’t take it out on us.” I said. She sighed and rubbed her temple. “Sorry guys, this lady bumped into me but blamed me when she dropped her plate.” She said. “Sounds like a real bitch. We had our own encounter by the elevator.” Ryuji said. “Language.” Goro said softly. We sat down and Ann sighed. “The staff keeps giving us this look, like we don’t belong here.” She said. “We don’t belong anywhere really. That’s why we banded together isn’t it?” I questioned. “Akira’s right, if we fit in then we wouldn’t be the Phantom Thieves.” Mishima said.

Goro suddenly bit his lip. “I just realized something. If we continue our work as the Phantom Thieves then how are we going to locate targets? It’d be difficult if we tried to do it on our own.” He said. Mishima’s head shot up and he looked at me. “Oh. _ Oh! _ Now I realize why you wanted me to make it!” He said, smiling brightly. I smirked as the rest of the thieves looked at me. “Akira? Is there something that you didn’t tell us?” Ann asked. “Maybe. Mishima now is a good time to send the link.” I said. He nodded as he pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons. Pretty soon everyone’s phone chimed with the notification causing them to pull out their phones and look. “The Phantom Affanato Website?” Ann asked. “Or Phansite for short.” Mishima chirped happily.

“A place for people to post about their problems and where we can probably locate targets. Big or small.” I said. Goro was staring at me. “How long has this been in the works?” He asked. “Since I told Mishima about the Metaverse, he’s pretty good at website design.” I said, still smirking. Goro then crushed me in a hug. “I’m so proud! Here you are thinking ahead again!” He said into my hoodie. We heard Ann clear her throat so we looked over, she pointed at the clock. “Our time ran out.” She said. “Let’s go, we’re done for the day anyways.” Morgana said. So after chatting on the way to the train we all went our separate ways. Happy and full I fell asleep easily that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you probably guessed Akira is very important to Goro. He doesn't want to cause Akira any distress and wishes to act as Akira's armor against the world. As you saw the single mental shutdown they caused weighs heavily on Akira's heart, the guilt is always there but it gets worse when he has to talk about it. This is a main reason Goro doesn't start killing, he doesn't want more things like this effecting Akira and driving him to what he drove his mother to. The name _haruki_ means _shinning sun_ which reflects how Goro views Akira.  
  
To him Akira is the only thing keeping him together, the shining sun in his world of darkness. Aki also means bright/autumn which was a total happy accident.  
(Comment your thoughts and kudos if you liked. They help motivate me to write more.)


	10. The Administrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unforseen awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
Hope you enjoy what I've done to Mishima.

_Mishima’s POV_

“Morgana wants to meet up after school, he wants to show Mementos to the others and take down a small target. Me and Goro have already been there but do you want to come?” Akira asked me. When Akira told me about the Metaverse he showed me Kamoshida’s Palace, I haven’t been to Mementos yet. “Of course I do! I want to understand what it is you’ve been dealing with.” I answered. Akira chuckled but had a smile on his face. “Okay, I will warn you that being down there is pretty surprising.” He said. I huffed. “I don’t care, hey do you think I might be able to get a persona?” I asked. Akira looked out the window. “No idea, if you can that would be pretty cool.” He said. We couldn’t talk anymore about it though as the teacher walked in right then to begin class. _ ‘I want to help them. If I can get a persona then I can help them out in the Metaverse and not just here.’ _ I thought to myself.

* * *

We were all gathered at the train station, Morgana was sitting on Akira’s shoulders like he belonged there. Akira didn’t seem to mind. “Alright, let’s pull up the Phansite.” The cat said. We all pulled up the site on our phones. “Look for any post that has a full name and seems to be serious.” He said. We all began scrolling through the posts on the site. “Most of these are people bitching about their boyfriends or stuff like that.” Ryuji groaned. “Oh, here’s one! ‘My ex has been stalking me and I don’t know what to do. He’s a teller at City Hall, his name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara’.” Ann read. “That’ll work, put it into the Nav.” Morgana said. Ryuji put it into the Meta Nav and it chimed that there was a hit.

“Okay, so what do we put in now?” Ryui asked. “Mementos.” Morgana said. When Ryuji entered it into the Nav everyone around the station disappeared. “Great, now follow me.” Morgana said. He hopped off Akira’s shoulder and we followed him down into the subway. Once we were downstairs everyone changed to what they look like in the Metaverse. Morgana went on to explain how Mementos was everyone’s Palace and that it was constantly shifting and changing because that’s what happens with public opinion. “So Nakanohara’s shadow will be down here?” Ann asked. “Yup.” Morgana said. “If we’re going to find him we should start moving.” Goro said. “Do we really have to walk around the whole place?” Ryuji asked. 

Morgana smirked. “Guess it’s time I show you this.” He moved to the center of the floor and did a few poses. “Morgana! Transform!” He then leaped into the air and came back down as a van. “Come on Panther, ladies first!” Everyone’s jaw dropped. “You can turn into a car?! How?!” Ryuji asked. “A little manipulating cognition is all I did. It’s not dissimilar to how you guys transform.” Morgana said. “You turning into a car is totally different from our clothes changing!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Why a car though?” Ann asked. “No idea, for some reason ‘cats turning into buses’ is a widespread cognition among the general public.” Morgana said. “How come you didn’t do this at the castle!” Ryuji asked as he got ready to climb in. “I couldn’t there! It was cramped, there were too many stairs and no way _ this _ fits on top of a chandelier!” Morgana said. I climbed in along with Ann. “Can you drive yourself?” Goro asked.

“I’m a car! I need someone to drive me.” Morgana said. “Alright, Joker you drive.” Goro said, practically shoving Akira into the driver’s seat. “Huh? W-why me? The only driving I’ve ever done is in video games!” Akira protested. “That’s more experience then I’ve had.” Ryuji said. “Yeah, I don’t know how either. Besides this could teach you some confidence!” Goro said. “Is that the only motivation you have for forcing me to do anything?” Akira asked looking very exasperated. “It’s what you need to work on the most.” Goro replied as he climbed into the passenger seat next to Akira.

The raven groaned but situated himself in the seat and put one hand on the wheel. “How do you start the engine? I don’t see any keys.” He asked. “There should be a switch, right where you would find the ignition.” Morgana explained. Akira looked around a bit before he made a noise. “Okay, found it.” He flipped it and the car started, the rumbling of the engine sounding very much like purring. Ryuji mumbled a low ‘creepy’ before Akira stepped on the gas pedal. He seemed to understand how to not kill us with whiplash as he drove fast but not too fast and managed the corners fairly well. Soon we saw a large black mass with masks sticking out of it as it lumbered along. “Is that… a shadow?” I asked. “Yeah, hey Mona is it cool if I just floor it? I’m fairly sure we can take it.” Akira said. 

“You’re just gonna ram it?!” Ryuji asked. Akira shrugged. “Why not? Not like it’ll hurt us while we’re in the car.” He said. “If it doesn’t immediately die then we’ll have to fight it, otherwise it’ll start chasing us.” Morgana said. “That’s fine, make sure to stay back Mishima. You don’t have a persona so you can’t fight.” Akira said. With that he stepped on the gas and rammed straight into the shadow. It dissolved into puddles and quickly reformed into four enemies. Now out of the car they began to fight. But something went wrong, these shadows were too fast for them and hurt them quite a lot fast. The battle wasn’t in their favor. _ ‘I have to help! If I can just turn the tides even a little bit then they can win! They’re my friends, I have to do something! Without them the world will just be a rotten place!’ _ I thought. A headache blossomed as a voice in my head rang out.

**‘So you wish to assist those that you care about? Without assistance then this battle will be lost.'** The voice in my head sounded like that of an older man, a happy voice that wasn't mine but at the same time it was. "Yeah, I have to help. I don't want to be useless." I muttered. **'Then we're in agreement? Then let us forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I. Let us lead a hand then.'** It felt like something was clawing it way out of my head causing me to scream. I felt the mask on my face, it was like one of those visolers that you see in TV shows and movies with blue tinted glass covering my eyes. I gripped it in my hands and ripped it off, it dissolving into blue flames that then enveloped me. I felt something form around me and when my eyes opened the world was tinted blue. I was in a blue sphere, metal around the bottom. On the front was the face of an older man with curly hair and on the back were what looked like four exhaust pipes.

My hands gripped two handles and my feet were positioned in front of two petals. I slammed onto one of the petals and moved the left stick making me circle around the others. I used Healing mist causing the pipes to release a green mist that enveloped them and healing their wounds. "What the…" Akira turned as I came to a stop behind the group. I grinned from inside my Sci-fi like sphere. "I'm not going to sit around and be useless. Even if I can't fight I'm going to be helpful. Me and **Walter Bishop** will help turn the tides!" I shouted the last part. Goro looked back at me and frowned. "You can't fight? Then what can you do?" He asked. I smirked. "Only a lot. Like this." I circled them letting out Hyper mist that would speed them up. "Woah!" Ryuji said. He launched forward and easily smacked the nearest shadow using the speed he gained. "That's amazing Mishima!" Ann cried. I grinned widely. "Let's end this quickly now. We have a target to take care of after all." I said, grip on my handlebars tightening. 

I circled the shadows, using Toxic gas which released a poison gas. I made blue gas masks appear on my teammates before they rushed in to finish off the shadows. My mask reappeared on my face and I panted softly. "That was amazing… I can definitely keep going at this rate." I said. Akira rushed forward and hugged me. "That was amazing! I can't wait to see what else you can do Admin!" He said. I pulled away from the hug to look at Akira. "Admin…?" I questioned. He looked away as he blushed. "Yeah, like administrator. Because you're kinda like one. Seems like a fitting code name for you…" He said. I smiled at him and hugged him. "I like it, so I'm Admin then?" I asked. The others nodded.

"Alright, let's go take care of Nakanohara." I said. "Maybe you should look at your outfit first." Ann said. I looked down and saw that I was in a dark blue bodysuit, light blue fingerless gloves covering my hands, black steel toed boots, and a white jacket that ended a foot or so under my armpits. "Oh, I look pretty cool." I said. Morgan smiled. "Let's keep going." He said. So he returned to car form and we all climbed inside. “Do you want to drive Admin? You’re persona is pretty unique in that you drive it.” Akira said. I waved it off. “Nah, the handle bars of Walter Bishop are totally different from a steering wheel anyways.” I said. Akira shrugged and stepped on the gas again. “So what are we even looking for Mona?” Goro asked. "Do you guys remember that area that you ended up with the one shadow in it?" The two nodded. "That's what we need to find, Nakanohara's shadow will be there." The two looked at each other.

Akira bit his lip as he looked at Goro. "You don't have to go in if you don't want to." The brunette said. "No, I'm fine. I just need to compose myself before we go in, you know?" The raven said. Goro nodded and rested a hand on Akira's shoulder. "If you really don't think you can do it that's fine. Just let us know and we'll leave, okay?" He said. Akira nodded as he turned back to the road ahead. We drove for a while before we came across a swirling vortex of red and black with the train tracks warping into it. "This is the place." Morgana reported. Akira visibly shuddered and Goro was frowning deeply. "Are you guys sure you can do this?" Ryuji asked. Akira nodded and took a deep breath. "Let's just get this over with." The raven said before stomping on the gas pedal and launching us into the vortex.

After we were through I could hear muttering, my guess it was the shadow of Nakanohara. ** _"She's mine. No one else can have her."_ ** The rest of the muttering was along those lines. "Well this is creepy." Ryuji muttered. Morgana was out of car form and was actually standing on Akira's shoulders, I guess that it's a way to comfort the boy. "I think that now that we have Admin's abilities we'll get through this fight." Akira said. After taking a minute to compose himself Akira signaled for us to move forward. Once we got close enough, the shadow turned to look at us. **"Who the hell are you?!"** It hissed. “Are you that stalker? Have you ever stopped to think about how your ex feels?” Ann huffed. 

**“She’s my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It’s not like she didn’t treat me like a plaything! What’s wrong with me doing the same?!”** The shadow growled. “Seriously? You can’t treat someone like shit just because they did to you! What a load of bullshit…” Ryuji huffed. “We’re going to change the hearts of all the people like you!” I declared. **“There are millions of people worse than me! What about Madarame…? He stole everything from me, but you’re letting him off the hook!?”** We looked at each other. “Who the hell is Madarame?” Goro asked. The shadow didn’t answer as it transformed and launched at us. Everyone ducked out of the way, my mask disappearing as I summoned Walter Bishop and he surround me. 

Akira rolled over and landed in a very hero like pose. Goro got to his feet and pulled out his saber. “I don’t think physical attacks are going to work.” Akira said. “Yeah, I think we faced one of these in the castle. Physical attacks wouldn’t do much against it.” Ryuji said. Ann gripped her whip. “So what do we do?” She asked. I analyzed the shadow and groaned when I realized something. “I can’t figure out weaknesses. All I got is his current mood.” I said. “You can’t tell what he’s weak too?” Goro asked. I shook my head and he groaned. “What’s his mood then?” He asked. “Hostile, very hostile.” I said. “Can you calm him down?” Akira asked. “I can see what I can do.” I said. I began looking through the things I had as the others fought. “Admin! Anything?” I growled softly. "Unless you think he'll be more reasonable after a nap I don't see much I can do." I said.

"How about slowing him down? Can you do that?" Akira asked. I flipped through everything and smiled. "Yeah, not only that but I can make his attacks weaker." I chirped. "Great! Do that!" Akira said, blocking an attack from the shadow. I nodded and released the necessary things, the shadow hacked and coughed on the gas while my team was unaffected due to the magical gas masks on their faces. Akira pulled out his knife and I watched as it was coated in blue flames that I recognized as a curse attack. He slashed the shadow's arm and I saw black veins appear near the cut. The shadow shrieked in pain and tried to attack Akira but a swift swing from Ryuji's pipe that was coated in electricity sent the shadow across the room and returning to its human form.

Walter Bishop disappeared into my mask and we approached the defeated shadow. **"I just didn't want to be thrown out again like how that evil teacher threw me out… please forgive me…"** He muttered softly. "Evil teacher?" Akira asked. "Maybe it was that Madarame guy he mentioned earlier?" Ryuji suggested. I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the shadow. "You should go apologize to your ex." I said. The shadow looked at us, and then at the ground. **"Can you do me a favor? Change Madarame's heart."** Without explaining his request the shadow of Nakanohara vanished and there was something else floating in his place. "What is that?" Goro asked. "It's the bud of a Treasure, if we had left it then it would have grown into a Palace." Morgana said. Akira grabbed it and it turned into something. "What is it?" Ann asked. Akira walked over and showed us what it was in his hands, a set of plain water colors, seemingly new. "Paint? But isn't Nakanohara a teller for City Hall?" Ryuji asked.

"We don't know what he did before he became a teller. But the point is that we helped someone." Goro said. "Yeah, oh. Before we go I want to check something, okay?" Morgana asked. "Yeah, sure. That's fine." Akira said. So we drove until we found the stairs and after that a solid wall. "Why is there a wall here?" Goro asked tilting his head. Morgana looked at him. "Have you never ran into this before?" The cat asked. Goro looked like a deer in headlights at that moment. "Um, I might have come down this way before and there wasn't a wall when I came here. But honestly I'm not sure because it was a very brief glance." The brunette said. "You've been down here before?" Ryuji asked.

"We both have, how do you think Crow convinced me that what he saw was real?" Akira said. "I thought that he just took you to the Palace he awakened in." Ryuji admitted softly. Goro's nose crinkled. "I would never take Joker into the place that I awakened in. If I had we would have died within seconds of entering. That place is _ muder _ even on an experienced persona user, I knew that it would be dangerous to bring him there when he didn't have a persona." He said. "What do you mean by that?" Ann asked. Goro sighed but crossed his arms. "I've only been in it a few times. But the security of that place is off the charts! The shadows are extremely powerful and the place is huge! I wouldn't be able to locate the Treasure on my own even if I managed to make it past the shadows. There's also something else that is blocking the way, sealing most of the Palace away from me." He said.

"So in other words it'll be difficult to infiltrate." Morgana said with a hum. The brunette immediately bopped the cat on the head. "Hell no! Don't even _ think _ about trying to get in on your own! None of us are powerful enough to take on that kind of Palace. Even with Admin with us there is no way we would survive in there very long. I got shot at the flipping front door! Zorro wouldn't stand a chance against the beasts in there!" Goro said, sounding like a parent scolding their child. The cat's ears flattened against his head as the wall opened after a few moments. "So I guess we can go deeper into Mementos now. Why did you want to come here Mona?" Akira asked. "I just have this feeling that tells me that I need to get to the end, maybe if I do that I'll find a way to regain my true form and my memories." The cat said.

"I guess if that's your only clue to your past it makes sense that you want to find out what's at the end. Maybe we'll all get some answers, like why we were chosen for these powers." I said. Mona shrugged and turned to us. "I think we're done for the day. Let's go home and get some rest." He said. I nodded, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted. "Yeah, Admin did just awaken so he really needs it." Goro said.

* * *

_ ~group chat: _ ** _The Phantom thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Joker_ ** _ has added _ ** _Mishima_ ** _ to the chat~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Joker_ ** _ has changed _ ** _Mishima's_ ** _ chat name to _ ** _Admin_ ** _ ~ _

**Admin:** sweet, I can't wait to assist you guys more both here as the administrator of the Phansite and in the Metaverse with Walter Bishop.

**Panther:** most of our personas are characters from pretty well known novels but I don't think I'll read a novel with Walter Bishop in it.

**Skull:** that's 'cause he's from an american TV show.

**Crow:** how would you know that?

**Skull:** i've watched it before with my mom.

**Joker: **Ryuji you can barely speak English.

**Skull:** my English isn’t that bad! also it was Japanese dubbed.

**Panther:** of course it was.

**Skull:** anyways in the show Walter was always happy to help no matter how weird or gruesome it was.

**Skull:** he also had this weird thing about food, he was always thinking about some type of food even when looking at someone’s exploded brains.

**Joker:** seriously?

**Skull:** yeah, if u guys come over sometime we can watch the series together.

**Crow:** what type of show is it?

**Skull:** i like to refer to it as ‘crime with a twist’

**Crow:**...

**Crow:** is it weird that I’m down for that?

**Joker:** no, we’ll see about when we can come over. i’m honestly curious to see what will come up.

**Skull:** cool, btw the pilot episode is pretty confusing like most of the series.

**Panther:** that just makes me want to watch it to see what the heck is going on.

**Admin:** same

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“How did you convince Sojiro to let you come?” Ann asked as Ryuji rooted around his DVD cabinet. “It wasn't that hard, I just told him I wanted to spend some time with friends and he was chill with it.” I said. “I didn’t have to ask anyone for permission to come over because I live alone. But I did tell Sae-san that I would be unavailable today because of plans I made.” Goro said as he returned with a bowl of popcorn. Mishima didn’t wait before sticking his hand in the bowl and eating some of the food. “Alright! Here we go.” Ryuji said, holding up a box set. On it was a single word printed above the half pictures of three people that when tilted turned into the images of a sea horse, leaf, and frog. “It’s called _ Fringe _?” Ann asked. 

“Yup, don’t eat too much yet because the pilot doesn’t hold back any of the weirdness.” He said as he popped the first disc into the player. “Let’s just get on with it. I want to see Walter.” Mishima said, bouncing slightly. The title screen came up and I started to hum a little bit to the tune that played with it. Morgana curled up in my lap and turned his eyes to the screen, eger to watch as Ryuji set it up to make sure it was playing in Japanese and hit play on the remote.

* * *

As the end credits rolled Goro stole the remote and hit pause. “So… John Scott was working with some weird people who made a virus that causes people’s flesh to literally melt. He go exposed to the raw materials at the warehouse after the explosion. Olivia basically dragged Peter, Walter’s son, to Boston so she could get into St. Claire's where Walter had been for the past seventeen years on manslaughter charges. He was working on something called Fringe science that most likely cause the accident and then proceeded to strip her to her undergarments, pump her full of drugs, and submerge her in a tank of water so she could talk to John while he was in a coma so she could find out who it was at the warehouse. John then killed the guy, drove out of the hospital only to be chased down by Olivia and then died in the accident following. Not to mention all the shady shit going on at Massive Dynamic and Nina Sharp! Also what the hell is the Pattern! What is Broyles up to and how does William Bell tie into it all! He shared the lab with Walter so he obviously knows something!” He said. 

Ryuji was snickering as Goro tried to get answers out of him about everything he’s just seen. “It’s pretty weird that you’re not pointing out all the stuff that clearly can’t happen.” I said. “This show clearly has a dynamic of its own so I’m not going to question the science.” Goro said before he tried to squeeze more answers out of Ryuji. “You’ll just have to watch in order to find out. I’m not spoiling.” The blonde said. The brunette groaned loudly before he snatched the remote back up and hit play. “I’m going to figure out what is going on.” He said. Ryuji nodded and turned to us. “You might lose your appetite after this one, and it’s one of the more tame ones.” He said.

Mishima raised an eyebrow and I tilted my head. “Just be prepared for weird stuff.” The bottle blonde said before turning to the screen. With that warning in mind I pushed the popcorn away from me and returned my gaze to the screen.

**(A/N: WARNING! Fringe is an actual show that I have watched. I am about to kinda vaguely describe the second episode of the first season. If you have a problem with mild gore and talks about sex and pregnancy then I recommend skipping over this. I’ll put in another note when it’s over. You can also skip this if you want to watch Fringe for yourself.)**

The episode started and we were looking at a motel. A woman was laying on the bed in just her undergarments as a man got dressed. It was pretty clear to me that they had just had sex. The woman was talking with the man rather admintly, he didn’t seem very interested and merely agreed with what she said as he went into the bathroom. 

“What does this have to do with John Scott?” Goro muttered softly. Ryuji chuckled softly. “You’ll find out soon enough. Just keep watching.” He said. Goro grumbled softly but fell silent and turned back to the screen.

The woman was talking about her name which was Loraine Daisy and how all her sisters had flowers for middle names and how her mother couldn't even spell her name right. The man was doing something with a syringe in the bathroom when he heard a commotion going on in the main room. Loraine was climbing off the bed and she fell on the floor. When he asked her what was wrong she said she didn’t know. That’s when the camera showed her stomach where lumps were disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else, her abdomen was clearly growing larger.

“What the fuck?!” Ann cried. Goro’s head snapped to her. “Language! Akira is right there!” He scolded. I huffed at my best friend. “I’m not a child Goro, stop treating me like one.” I said. Morgana hissed silently from my lap. “Hush, I’m trying to watch.” The banter fell away and I returned my attention to the screen.

The man told Loraine that everything would be alright as he returned to the bathroom to collect his things. Loraine made her way outside the room, she was screaming as she fell down next to a car once again showing her growing abdomen. The man came out of the room and started trying to get Loran up when another man appeared. He offered to give them a ride to the hospital but the man declined, stating that he would take her.

“What could possibly be happening that it’s clear she needs to be taken to the hospital?” Goro muttered into his knees, having drawn them up to his chest at some point. I shrugged. “She’s clearly in pain, who wouldn’t take her to the hospital after hearing her screams?” I questioned. Morgana batted my leg so I hushed up and looked back at what was happening on screen.

Loraine and the man where now in the car, he glanced at her for a moment and we got another view of her stomach again. The bumps were still going on and her stomach was still growing. _ “What’s happening to me!” _ She screamed. They seemed to have arrived at the hospital at this point because the man gets out, helps Loraine out, puts her down, and then gets back into the car. Loraine screams after him to not never her as he drives away.

“Okay clearly he knows what is going on. Why doesn’t he help her?” Goro mumbled. Morgana batted his leg so he quieted down.

We now see Loraine on a gurney as the hospital staff rolled her to the operating room. One of them asks how many months she was and when she asks what they mean they simply say ‘pregnant’ to which Loraine insists that she’s not pregnant. In the operating room the doctors try to stabilize her as she is still screaming. Then there is this ripping noise and her screaming stops, her head loling to the side. She was dead, the staff confirms this as they state that they’ve lost her. They go for the ‘baby’ and slice open her stomach with a scalpel. But whatever they pull out wasn’t what they were expecting and a nurse screams.

The episode is paused at this point, not by Goro but Ann. She is running her hands through her hair as she takes a deep breath. “What. Just. Happened??” She asks after a moment. Mishima groans as he sets the popcorn down on the table. “What would have happened if they just left whatever it was in there?” He asked. “I don’t know, maybe her stomach would have eventually ripped open.” I said, feeling queasy. Goro has his head tucked into his knees as he breathes deeply. “Press play, let’s find out what happens next.” He eventually says. Ann looks unsure but nevertheless presses play.

The first thing we get after is Broyles in some kind of meeting with a board of directors, Nina Sharp being there surprised me, she worked of Massive Dynamic and William Bell so why was she there? Broyles went on to say that they had gotten another strange case that was possibly connected to the Pattern and told everyone that Olivia, Peter, and Walter were part of a special task force that he had created. Miss Sharp appeared to be doubtful of this team even though last episode she seemed rather impressed by how Olivia handled herself. 

After we cut away from that we see Olivia at her desk, reading glasses on as she looks over case files. She’s interrupted from what she’s doing by a phone call from Broyles, the first thing he says is wake up. _ “Well, waking up is not going to be a problem, but thank you for the gentle nudge.” _ Is was Olivia responds with. Broyles tells her to gather the others and meet him at the hospital before hanging up. We then get a shot of a door before we see Olivia, Peter being the one who opened the door. She said that the phone was off the hook in which Peter tells her that he had left it off because he didn’t want to be woken up.

Olivia tells him that he needs to get his father, there was something they had to see that couldn't wait so Peter shuts the door and walks off to find him, calling out his name. Walter isn’t actually in the bed which is where he should be and Peter groans. _ “Tell me you’re not in the closet.” _ The man says as he walks over to the closet in question. When Peter opened the door Walter was there, sitting on the floor. _ "What the hell are you doing in there again?" _ Peter questions. Walter takes a bit before he begins to explain. Apparently there was a patient at St Claire's that would sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" every night and Walter was having trouble falling asleep without the familiar song.

"That makes a lot of sense, if he's used to hearing that song before he falls asleep then it's only natural that he has trouble sleeping without it. Like how you tie the sound of a bell to school ending." I said. Morgana batted my leg so I shut up.

We arrive at the hospital where Broyles is waiting, he greets Olivia and Peter who merely says that he was here as the babysitter and that it was Walter he wanted. When Broyles asked if Walter was coming out Peter responded with _ “Well, that’s unclear. He’s currently in the car fiddling around with the seat warmer.” _ After Walter got out of the car Broyles explains why they were there. Apparently there had been a baby that died of natural causes. It had grown old in a matter of four hours. 

There were confused noises all around except from Ryuji who knew what was going on since he has watched the show before.

Soon enough they got a call that Loriane was staying the Scarlet Motel, the one we had seen in the beginning so Olivia and Peter head over there. Olivia finds Loriane’s driver's license and we learn her last name was Alcott. Peter goes into the bathroom and quickly finds an orange gel that he samples. Something about it must be familiar to Olivia because she kneels next to the bed to check the thread count. She turns to the cabinet on the other side of the room and tells Peter to open it, stating that there will be sheets inside. Olivia is right of course so Peter asks how she knows. 

In the car Olivia explains that she worked a case with John that was similar to this, the man would scoop up women from clubs, take them to a motel room, give them a muscle paralyzer, cut out a piece of their brain, pull it out through the nose, and then give them an overdose to kill them.

“So this is connected to John.” Goro whispered. Morgana didn’t bat him this time since he shut up right after.

Olivia goes to Charlie to tell him that she would be reopening the old case to work on it. She and him also talk about her relationship with John before he agrees to get her the old files. Then we see the same man and he has another woman, taking her to a warehouse this time. He tells her to look at the bridge that can be seen from the window and once she has her back turned he gets a syringe ready with the muscle paralyzer. The last thing we see before the scene cuts away is him stabbing her in the neck with it. 

Peter returns to the lab where Walter explains how that he knew something about what happened to Loriane and also that he remember where he parked his car. Apparently Walter had stuffed it full of his research so they went to fetch it. Olivia is looking through the case files when Walter and Peter roll up in the old car. They start looking through the research when they find the name Penrose who was a collage of Walter’s. So Olivia goes to find him while she has Charlie look out for anymore bodies with that glade missing. Olivia and Peter talk with Penrose about the research to see if he had shared it with anyone which he claimed that he denied. 

After leaving Penrose Charlie calls with a body, it’s the woman. Walter goes on to explain how Loriane happened, she was an accident. That the man was the product of growth experiments that he conducted with Penrose and he got Loriane pregnant which cause the pregnancy to become acclimated. We then see the man who we learn is named Christoper and is apparently Penrose’s son. After the two talk we get Walter explaining to Peter how they could see the woman’s last images on the retinas of her eyes and that they would need some things to see it. Peter tells Olivia that what they need is an electronic pulse camera and that Massive Dynamic is the only company that holds the patent for it.

“It always comes back to Massive Dynamic…” I whispered to myself. Morgana patted my knee with his paw, gently telling me to be quiet.

Olivia went to Massive Dynamic where she had a brief thought before talking with Nina Sharp who gave her the pulse camera. With it they saw the bridge she saw, Astraid luckily recognized the bridge and they were able to locate Christoper, Penrose, and another woman. Olivia chased down Christoper who died of natural causes soon after while Peter stayed with Penrose. Penrose escaped by trying to kill the woman but due to his quick thinking, and a little help from Walter, Peter managed to save her. Later on we learn from Broyles that they had yet to locate Penrose after he escaped but they would be keeping an eye out for him.

**(A/N: Okay, Fringe spoilers end here.)**

As the end credits rolled Ryuji turned to us. “So? What did you guys think?” He asked. Goro pulled out his phone and sent something to the group chat, I snorted when I saw it.

**Crow:**

“I have to agree with Goro, that was very confusing but it’s a good show.” Mishima said. “After watching that episode I’m afraid to have sex.” Ann muttered. “At least we all know that can’t happen in real life.” I said. Goro huffed softly. “I wouldn’t put it pass the government to try and grow soldiers though.” He said. A thought came to me then and I looked at Morgana. “Hey Mona, do you know how old you are?” I asked. The cat looked at me. “Why do you ask?” He questioned. I shrugged. “Just curious is all.” I said. Morgana looked at the ceiling before he scratched his ear. “I think I’m about a year old but I’m not sure. I still don’t have a lot of my memories.” He said.

“That makes sense, anyone up for episode three?” Ryuji asked. Goro perked up, figures that he was already hooked on the show. “Hell yeah! Let’s binge the whole series if we can!” He shouted. Ryuji chuckled but he was already making his way to the TV to change out the discs.

* * *

_ The sound of piano drifted to my ears and when I opened my eyes I knew I was in the Velvet Room, but instead of a prison cell I seemed to be in a blue circus tent standing on the high wire. On the other side of it was one of the twins, if I remember correctly she was Caroline. _

_ “Nice to see you again inmate! In case you forgot I’m Caroline, your attendant.” She said. “Is this the Velvet Room? Why did it change?” I asked looking around. “It is very rare that there are two Wild Cards at the same time, even rarer that they know each other. Because of this the Velvet Room took shape of a prison since you both wish to break free of something. You however see everything as a balancing act and that tipping one way too far could end badly.” Caroline explained. _

_ “So there have been other Wild Cards? Me and Goro aren’t the only ones who have the ability to wield multiple persona?” I asked as I began to make my way across the high wire. Caroline nodded. “That’s correct, but like I said it is rare for two to appear at the same time.” She said. I glanced around the room and noticed that Igor wasn’t around. “Where’s Igor?” I asked. _

_ “I asked to speak with you alone so he left.” She explained. I made my way across the high wire and sat down in front of Caroline. “So you wanted to talk with me privately? What is it?” I asked. “As you know humanity has reached its lowest point and ruin can no longer be avoided. But what you don’t know about is that from the very start this game you have been set on is rigged.” Caroline said. I had to process that for a bit. “Rigged? As in we can’t win or we can’t lose?” I asked. Caroline nodded. _

_ “The Igor you know of isn’t actually my master but I can’t tell you his identity without risk he’ll hear. His original plan was to pit you and Goro against each other, creating a result where you couldn’t win.” She explains. “But we would never fight each other, we’re best friends.” I pointed out. Caroline smiled. “That’s right, my true master knew of his plans so he nudge you two together. The result being the friendship you know have. The imposter thought throwing the Metaverse into the mix would make you two drift apart but that didn’t happen, instead you learned of the Metaverse earlier then he planned.” She said. _

_ My mind went back to the day I awakened, I remember closing my messenger… and the Meta Nav was right next to it. I looked at Caroline as I realized something. “I never opened the Meta Nav. _ ** _He_ ** _ did, that day I was supposed to learn of the Metaverse but I already knew about it. He wanted me to awaken on the same day, he must have set it to automatically open at the right time to catch the key words.” I said. Caroline was grinning proudly. “That’s right inmate! That day where you awakened was also supposed to be the day you first learned of the Metaverse. But because of Goro’s actions after he awakened you knew of the Metaverse long before the set date.” She said. _

_ “I bet he wasn’t expecting that. But how do we win a rigged game?” I asked. Caroline huffed but I could tell she wasn’t annoyed by my questions, she was probably waiting for this exact question. “By playing dirty of course! You already have a head start by gaining an alley you originally wouldn’t have had. If you keep pulling unexpected cards out of your sleeve you can gain the advantage.” She said. “So I have to get a head start. Finish things long before he’s expecting and keep surprising him. I can do that.” I said. _

_ “Good, for the next Palace you should also get a persona with ice abilities, it’ll be useful. You’ll also need to gain another alley to use, you’ll know who they are once you figure out the next Palace. If you gain they’re trust earlier then he thinks you will you’ll blindside him again. You’ll be needing to put your experience as a victim of abuse to good use this time around. Keep your cunning plans and sharp wits about you” Caroline said. I nodded along, understanding what she was telling me to do. “Got it, I’ll keep on my toes from now on.” I said. She smiled and I could feel the bond of trust shared between us. We could help each other and overthrow the fake Igor, we just needed to make sure we didn’t tip our hand too early. _

_ I ams thou, thou art I _

_ Thou has acquired a new vow _

_ It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall _ _ breaketh thy chains of _ _ captivity _

** _ With the birth of the _ ** _Strength _ ** _ Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power. _ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Walter Bishop studied science where he would constantly test the limits of what can be done. After an assistant was killed in his lab he was sentenced to spend time in a mental institution. After seventeen years he was checked out to help solve cases involving the research he was conducting.  
(As you can see I'm making some pretty big changes. Hope to see you next time! Please leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, I love hearing what you have to say. It helps motivate me to write.)


	11. The truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro doesn't like lying to the people he wants to protect, so he decides to reveal the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to start the Madarame arch but then it went off the rails and turned into this...
> 
> Hope you still enjoy this. (I wrote this in four days so please forgive me because it's short, I wrote this out of enjoyment)

_ Goro’s POV _

_ When I heard the sound of a piano I knew right away that I was in the Velvet Room. I opened my eyes to see a battlefield and I was in a trench. “Well this is new.” I said to myself. “This is how you see the world, a battlefield that you have to navigate.” I jerked at the familiar voice, right next to me Justine stood. I glanced at the lone twin, my mind reeling. “That is true but why was it a prison before?” I asked. “Because both you and Akira wish to be free of something. Therefore it appeared before as a prison.” She explained.  _

_ “I don’t see Igor, where is he?” I asked, looking around. Jostine glanced around before speaking. “I asked to speak with you in private so he left. There is something I have to tell you that he mustn’t know.” She said, her already soft voice more hush then usual. “What is it?” I asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Justine looked around a little more, probably to confirm that Igor was really gone and couldn’t hear what she was about to say, before looking at me straight on. “The Igor you know isn’t the real one, he’s an imposter.” She said. _

_ “If he’s not Igor then who is he?” I asked. Justine sighed and shook her head. “I can not say without risk he’ll hear. We just didn’t want you two to be in the dark about the game he’s been trying to play.” She said. I raised an eyebrow at that. “Game? What game?” I asked. Justine glanced around again before speaking. “He wanted to at first pit you and Akira against each other. Wild Card verse Wild Card. But you wouldn’t fight Akira now would you?” She said. I shook my head, I couldn’t even dream of fighting Akira for any reason. _

_ “Exactly, because of this he’s original plan fell through. If you can keep ahead of his plans then you should be able to win this rigged game.” Justine explained. “What should I do to help?” I asked, not wanting Akira to be the only one pulling things out of his sleeve. Justine looked at me softly. “There is one thing, trust your friends with who you really are. Show them how you really view yourself and trust them with knowing about Loki. That is what you can do.” She said. I stiffened at that, would Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, and Mishima trust me after learning that I lied? I had my reasons of course and I felt that they were justified but would they see it that way? I didn’t want to lose them… _

_ I opened my mouth to say something else when there was an explosion and the ground shook. Justine looked at the ceiling. “It’s time to go, I know you’re scared about telling them but they’ll understand. I’m sure of it. Now go.” With that the Velvet Room faded away and everything went dark. _

* * *

My eyes blinked open and I was immediately greeted with the sight of black curls that I recognized right away as Akira’s. I sat up and looked around to get my bearings. I was curled up on the couch with Akira and Morgana, Mishima was curled up nearby on the recliner, and Ann was sprawled out on the floor with a blanket tossed over her. The TV was still showing the title screen of Fringe as the tune played softly. ‘ _ I must have fallen asleep while we were binging the series, therefore Ryuji must be in his bedroom since this is his home.’ _ I thought to myself.

I carefully detangled myself from Akira before standing up, making sure to not step on Ann I made my way to the short hall that contained the bedrooms and bathroom. Ryuji’s room was easy to pick out so I opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The bottle blonde was sleeping peacefully, tangled up in blankets and snoring softly. A grin appeared on my face as I observed the usually loud boy, now nearly silent, Justine’s words reappeared in my mind.  _ “I know you’re scared about telling them but they’ll understand. I’m sure of it.” _ I bit my lip. Would they truly understand why I lied? I really didn’t want to lose them…

**‘They deserve the truth.’** Robin Hood whispered softly. I sighed but nodded, Robin was right, they deserve the truth. “...’oro…” I flinched as I was brought out of my thoughts, Ryuji blinking at me tiredly. I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked at the ground. “Sorry for waking you, I just want to pop my head in to make sure you were okay. I’ll go now.” I mumbled. Ryuji yawned and rubbed his eyes. “It’s okay, are you alright though? You seemed lost in thought.” He asked. I opened my mouth ready to lie and say I was fine when I froze.  _ ‘He deserves the truth.’ _ I closed my mouth, sighed, then looked at Ryuji.

“What… would you think if you learned I lied?” I asked. Ryuji tilted his head in a questioning manner, still looking rather sleepy. “Lied ‘bout what?” He asked. I couldn’t look at him anymore. “About anything really.” I mumbled. There was a small silence before Ryuji spoke again. “Well if you did lie ‘bout something you obviously had a reason for it. I wouldn’t judge until I knew what the reasons for it were and then make my judgement. I know I may seem hot headed but I do stop to think ‘bout things.” He said with a slight chuckle. I glanced at the tired blonde before I spoke again. “Even if it was something big?” I asked softly.

To my surprise Ryuji nodded. “Like I said, if you did lie you had a reason for it. I’m not going to judge when I don’t know the reasons for the lie.” He said. I smiled at the blonde, a warm feeling in my chest. “You are too good for this world Ryuji Sakamoto.” I said. Ryuji chuckled and stood up, walking over to me and ruffling my hair. “Why are you suddenly sappy? Come on, we should wake up the others.” He said, leaving the room. I followed him, already planning how I would tell them about Loki and reveal my true self to them.

* * *

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _Akira rehabilitation squad_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Pirate Boi_ ** _ added  _ ** _Mishima_ ** _ to  _ ** _Akira rehabilitation squad_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Pirate Boi_ ** _ changed  _ ** _Mishima’s_ ** _ chat name to  _ ** _Techie_ ** _ ~ _

**Techie:** very creative.

**Pirate Boi:** sorry but i couldn’t think of anything clever to call u

**Techie:** it’s fine

**Miss Kitty:** is it just me or did Goro seem pretty distant before he left?

**Techie:** yeah he did seem to have something on his mind.

**Pirate Boi:** he’ll tell us wat’s going on if he wants to, i don’t want to find out wat he’ll do if we push it.

**Miss Kitty:** yeah, me neither.

**Rainbow Detective:** can you guys meet me in Mementos? there's something I have to show you. I already have Morgana.

I heaved a sigh as I cradled the cat, staring at my phone.  _ ‘I don’t want to go back to how it was but they deserve to know the truth.’ _ I thought. I pulled up Akira’s contact to read the previous messages we exchanged.

**Dt GoGo:** I’m going to show the others what I really look like in the Metaverse and tell them about Loki

**Aki:** Are you sure that’s a good idea?

**Dt GoGo:** no but they deserve to know the truth. I’ll come by to grab Morgana.

Akira didn’t send anything after that, he also didn’t say that much when I came by Leblanc to pick up Morgana, he just said hey and wished me luck. If Morgana read the messages I sent to Akira he didn’t mention it and just laid in my arms, waiting like I was. I was thinking about what Ryuji told me, he soft words and smile so unlike the usually loud boy.  _ ‘He said that he wouldn’t judge but will that really be the case? And Ann and Mishima… I don’t know how they’ll react. And Mona is another thing entirely, I don’t want to lose my friends but they deserve the truth.’ _ I was pulled out of my thoughts by a soft hey. 

Ryuji was standing there, a worried look on his face. Ann and Mishima were right behind him, looking just as worried. I didn’t say anything yet, just took us to Mementos. Morgana climbed out of my arms the moment he transformed. “What is it that you have to show us?” Ryuji asked, voice unusually soft. My mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure how to tell them what I want to tell them. I was at a lost for words. 

“Hey.” I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Ryuji looking at me softly. “It’s okay, we would judge.” He said, voice barely above a whisper. I felt tears prickle in my eyes, I tried to hold it back as I took a deep breath, sliding down to the floor. “I… lied about something.” I mumbled. I couldn’t look at them as I continued. “I lied because I thought I had to, in order to be trusted. I didn’t think it would last this long. There are so few people that I believe I can trust, before I became the Detective Prince Akira was the only person I could put my trust in. Then I met Sae-san, and I could trust her. And now there’s you guys and I don’t want to keep lying, you all deserve to know the truth even though I’m scared of losing you once you know it. The truth about how I really view a rebel.” With that I let the prince costume drop, revealing the nightmare like knight ensemble underneath.

I heard a sharp intake but I couldn’t tell who it came from, I couldn’t look at them, afraid of what I would see. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder again, causing me to look up and see Ryuji, having pushed up his mask to reveal his face, I could see the soft look in his eyes. “You were pretty brave to come out and say it even though you were scared. Thank you, I understand that you had a hard time as a kid which makes you naturally distrustful. For one I think you look cool, kinda reminds me of the scary monster that protects the little kid from danger.” The loud blonde was speaking softly, the affection in his words clear. Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn’t take it anymore, I launched forward and pulled the blonde into a hug.

I felt a hand on my head before my helmet was removed, I looked and saw Ann holding it, a gentle smile gracing her face, mask pushed up as well. “Yeah, you told us the truth and that’s what matters.” She said. I felt Morgana’s paws on my arm so I looked at him and saw a smile on his face. “Lady Ann is right, you told us the truth and that’s what matters.” He said. I looked at Mishima since he was the last to speak. He stood there for a bit before he smiled and sat down next to me. “Crow is much more fitting for you like this then that prince outfit you had earlier.” He said, voice soft.

I was so happy to hear that from my friends. So happy I didn't think before summoning Loki so he could wrap us all in an embrace. "I'm so glad I don't have to make my friend list shorter." I said, voice muffled slightly. I couldn't be happier than I was then. I saw Ryuji glance at a corner nearby and I caught a glimpse of black curls. "Come on Akira, you should join this group hug." The bottle blonde said. Akira looked at Ryuji in surprise but only took a moment to stand there before he ran over and wiggled his way into the hug, pushing his mask up as well. We spent some time like that before I realized something and I looked at Ryuji.

“I’m not hurting you am I? I really don’t want to hurt you.” I said. Ryuji chuckled and shook his head. “Nah dude, I’m fine. Your claws are as blunt as a butter knife.” He said. I sighed softly, glad that I didn’t hurt any of my friends before we all heard Akira clear his throat. “I… did come down here for a reason you know, I need another persona.” He said. Ryuji raised an eyebrow at Akira. “Isn’t having three enough for you?” He asked. Akira chuckled but shook his head. “I have a feeling that in the next Palace we’ll need something with ice, Pixie has lightening and Jack has fire.” The raven explained. 

Mishima perked up at that. “I think I know what shadow you’re looking for, don’t get mad but I’ve come down here a few times on my own to see what kind of shadows I could find. There’s actually an ice one that we can find on this floor.” He said. Akira’s eyes widened at that. “You did what?!” I watched as Akira started to scold Mishima for doing something so dangerous since he didn’t have any attacks and didn’t carry any weapons and chuckled slightly. Akira could really be a mother hen at times, especially when he thought it was needed.

“Come on guys, let’s get Akira his persona and then go home. It’s been a long day.” I said. Ryuji raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You sure about just going home? Tomorrow is Sunday so we can totally just go to my place and watch the second season of Fringe all in one sitting.” He said, the impish grin he wore half the time appearing once again. That offer really was temping, after all I had the day off tomorrow…  _ ‘One season wouldn’t hurt right?’ _ I sighed but smiled at Ryuji. “We’ll see how we’re feeling after grabbing the persona, okay?” I questioned. The bottle blonde nodded and stood up. “Let’s go kick some shadow ass and get Akira another persona!” He declared before turning and sliding down the railing to enter Mementos.

“Ryuji! Wait for us!” Akira shouted, rushing after the blonde. Ann sighed before she got up and tossed me my helmet. “Let’s go after them.” She said. I smiled and nodded, putting on the helmet before dashing down the stairs to Mementos, Ann and Misima following close behind. Morgana leaped on my shoulder causing me to look back at him and grin. Everything was fine, they knew the truth and still wanted to be my friends. I had more people then Akira that I could rely on, and it felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said I wrote this in four days and mostly out of enjoyment, hope you like it as much as I do. The next update will contain Yusuke... hopefully. Until next time, bye!


	12. The Artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang deal with exams and meet a certain artist, Akira notices some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if I wrote Yusuke right but oh well. Enjoy this chapter!

_ Ann’s POV _

_ ~group chat: _ ** _ The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Admin:** finials are coming up soon, do you guys want to study together?

**Crow:** right now all I want to do is stay in my apartment and sleep until the sun rises and not be woken up by a phone call. seriously can the criminals commit crime at a more reasonable hour?

**Skull:** the Fringe marathon probably didn’t help any

**Crow:** I’m so fucking tired, all that is keeping me going is the steady supply of coffee Akira is giving me.

**Panther:** oh yeah, he’s helping out a Leblanc now isn’t he?

**Crow:** he’s been practicing making coffee and is using me as a test subject, coffee is coffee no matter the taste.

**Panther:** should we come over?

**Crow:** Akira doesn’t mind so I don’t see why not

**Skull:** we’ll be there soon

* * *

The strong smell of coffee greeted me as I entered Leblanc, Akira was behind the counter wearing a long sleeved shirt and aporne while Goro sat on a stool, gulping another cup of coffee. “How much sleep have you gotten?” I asked standing near the brunette. Goro looked at me, bags clear under his eyes. “Not enough to deal with finials.” He said. “You should try to get some sleep tonight.” Morgana said from his perch on Akira’s shoulders. 

“If the department will even let me.” Goro groaned as he accepted another cup from Akira. I giggled and took the coffee Akira offered me. “Thanks.” I said before taking a sip. It was pretty good, if a little bitter. “You should work on the bitterness.” I said sitting down. Akira nodded and Goro groaned again. “How much coffee can I pour into my trash body before I have a heart attack?” The brunette said. Morgana’s tail flicked in concern. “Let’s try not to find out.” He said. Akira nodded in agreement and moved the pot he was holding out of reach of Goro. “I think you’ve had enough anyways.” The raven said.

“Coffee is the only thing keeping me awake right now.” Goro said reaching of the pot. Akira raised it above his head to keep it away from the tired brunette. “You’re not having a heart attack from overdosing on caffeine.” He said firmly. Goro groaned but he rested his head on the counter. A few moments later Ryuji and Mishima entered Leblanc. “We decided that we might as well get some studying done.” Mishima said as he set his school bag down in a booth nearby. Akira smiled at them and sighed, checking on the now sleeping Goro. “I have to watch the cafe while Sojiro runs an errand so I have to stay here. Can one of you move Goro upstairs so he can get a nap in?” The raven said.

Ryuji nodded, easily hualing the brunette up and carrying him to the attic. Once he returned we began the study session, Akira would come over with coffee for me and Mishima but since Ryuji doesn’t drink coffee he gave him soda. After awhile I decided to test the group’s knowledge on English. “Hey Ryuji, try saying ‘the cat in the hat talks back’ in English.” I said. Ryuji frowned at that. “Ann you know my English isn’t that great.” He said. I groaned softly. “Just try.” I insisted. Ryuji sighed but never the less he opened his mouth. “**The cat in the pat talks back.**” His English actually wasn’t as broken as I thought it would be.

“You did pretty good, but instead of ‘hat’ you said ‘pat’.” I said. Ryuji groaned and face palmed. “I thought I might have mixed up the silabulls.” He said. I shrugged and flipped a page in my textbook. “At least you knew that you made a mistake. Akira I’ve got one for you too!” I chirped. The raven haired boy looked up at me from his work behind the counter, he groaned softly but nodded. So I gave him the sentence. “Say ‘the dog chased the red fox across the highway’.” Akira raised an eyebrow but sighed and began in near perfect English. “**The dog chased the red fox across the highway.**” 

I stared at Akira who just went back to work. “Goro tutored me quite a bit. He says that learning English is basically a requirement now so he taught me. I’m not very good though.” He said. I frowned when he said that but at that moment Goro came downstairs so I decided it was best if we returned to studying.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

The past few days are a blur of study sessions at Leblanc, actual exams, and crashing onto my bed before Morgana has the chance to tell me to go to sleep and passing out only to wake up the next day to repeat the previous day. It was the final day of exams and I was standing with Ryuji and Mishima, both yawning as much as I was. “God I should have tried to get a least a few minutes sleeping before this, I don’t know why I didn’t.” Ryuji yawned. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “Did you stay up cramming last minute?” I asked.

“Like my life depended on it, my brain is so going to be fried after this.” The blonde yawned. Ann joined us at this point, yawning as well. “Morning.” She said. Mishima yawned and glanced at her. “Did you stay up late studying?” He asked. Ann nodded as she rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, what’s go you so tired Akira? Not like you need to study with how smart you are.” She said. I tried to stifle a yawn as Morgana patted my shoulder. “I didn’t sleep very well, not by choice, of course. Had nightmares throughout the night, I think I got a total of eight minutes of peaceful sleep.” I said, rubbing my eyes. Ann frowned but just then our train arrived, so we climbed in to head for school.

However as we rode the train I felt like there were eyes on the back of my neck causing me to shift and glance around. I saw Ann do the same thing. “It feels like someone is watching me…” She whispered. Mishima looked around but shrugged. “Maybe you’re just imagining it?” He suggested. I shook my head. “No, it feels like someone is watching me too.” I said. Ryuji looked around and I saw his eyes lock onto something. “I think I see him. Once we get off the train follow me.” He whispered to us. When the train stopped at our stop we got off and followed Ryuji, when I turned to look behind me I saw a blue haired boy walking a ways away. 

Unsure what to do I followed Ryuji and we ran into Goro on the escalator. Ryuji quickly explained what was going on. “I can understand why Ann would attract a stalker but Akira doesn’t stand out that much so that makes me curious.” The brunette said. Ann huffed at Goro at that comment. “Thanks but I don’t really want a stalker following me around.” She said. Ryuji glanced behind us again and touched Ann’s shoulder. “He might just want to ask you something, let’s not draw conclusions.” He said, steering her outside. Goro took my hand and lead me out as well. Once outside the station I was able to breathe a little better, I hate crowds quite a lot.

“Excuse me? Can I borrow a moment of your time?” I yelped at the sudden voice and immediately hid behind Goro, the blue haired boy was standing there. He had originally been looking at Ann but he was now looking at me, his expression was disinterested with a hint of concern. “I’m sorry, did I startle you? It was not my intention.” He said. I squeaked from behind Goro and hid further. Goro grasped my hand before turning to the boy. “I apologize, Akira doesn’t do well around strangers. He is very shy.” He said. 

The boy nodded and turned to Ann. “I realize this might be quite sudden but I’m an artist looking for a model for my next piece. If you don’t mind, I would very much like to paint you.” He said. Ryuji frowned and cleared his throat. “It would probably be nice if we had your name.” The blonde said. The blue haired boy looked surprised. “Oh! How rude of me, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Yusuke Kitagawa, I’m a second year at Kosei high in the fine arts division. I’m also studying under Madarame, I’m sure you’ve heard of him.” He said.

“Oh yeah! He was on Good morning Japan the other day.” Mishima said. But I knew what we were all thinking, the man mentioned by Nakanorhara’s shadow. I still had the set of watercolor paints we got from that mission. Yusuke nodded and pulled something out of his pocket, tickets. “He’s holding an exhibition on Sunday that I’ll be assisting with, it's open until June 5th. Please take these tickets and consider my offer.” He said. Ann took the offered tickets and looked at them, probably considering if she should go. 

Just then I heard a car pull up so I looked over, inside was an older man with long grey hair, he quickly locked onto Yusuke. “Yusuke!” The blue haired boy immediately looked at him and I saw it. There was fear in Yusuke’s eyes when he heard the man’s tone of voice. “Coming sensei!” He called. The artist immediately extracted himself from the group and rushed to the car, climbing in rather quickly. Before the window rolled up I saw the man, probably Madarame, grab Yusuke’s wrist and squeeze as he began to speak to the boy in a hushed tone. I barely caught Yusuke’s grimace of pain before the window was up and I could no longer see him.

**‘Well well. It seems that we have another target.’** Arsene chuckled. I left Goro’s back and turned to the group. “We might have just found our next target.” I declared. Everyone looked at me in surprise, Ryuji in particular seemed interested in what I had to say. “What did you notice Akira?” He asked. I opened my mouth to explain when Goro rested a hand on my shoulder. “Later, we all have to get to school.” He said. I sighed but nodded, none of us wanted to be late today after all. Giving Goro a quick good-bye we rushed off, my mind drifted from Yusuke to the finial I was about to face.

* * *

“It’s finally over!” Ann cheered, leaning against the wall. Ryuji sighed as he settled on the ground, clearly exhausted. “I probably didn’t do that well.” He said. I frowned at the blonde and was ready to reassure him that he probably did alright before Goro spoke. “So Akira, about that target?” He asked. I jerked, realizing that I had completely forgotten about what I saw that morning until now. I looked at them and began to explain. “When Madarame called Yusuke I saw fear in his eyes, Yusuke was afraid of Madarame. And before the window rolled up I saw Madarame grab Yusuke’s wrist and squeeze, it must have been painful because Yusuke winced.” I said.

“So you think Madarame is abusing Yusuke? Why doesn’t he leave?” Mishima asked. 

“Yusuke could have many reasons for not leaving. He could have no one else, he could think that he owes Madarame something, it could be anything really. But one thing we can’t do is straight up ask Yusuke about it, he’ll close up right away if we do.” I explained. Goro hummed softly. “So what can we do?” He asked. I sighed, rubbing my head. “Honestly we’re just gonna have to gage how bad it is. If Yusuke is clearly in immediate danger then we can’t use the Palace before getting him out of there, if Madarame even has one. But in order to gage that I have to get closer to Yusuke, to look for bruises or broken bones and observe his behavior towards Madarame, what I saw today isn’t enough for me to say for sure the relationship is abusive.” I said.

Ann looked at me, then reached into her bag and produced the tickets Yusuke gave her. “What better way to do that is to go to the art exhibit? He gave us these tickets after all.” She said. I brightened at that. “Yeah, Yusuke did mention that he would be helping with the exhibit and chances are Madarame will be there as well.” I said. Ryuji hummed and ran a hand through his hair. “We should also look out for anything else, Nakanohara did mention Madarame so there might be more to this than just abuse.” The bottle blonde said. Ann nodded, smiling. “Alright then, when we get to the exhibit we’ll try to get Akira more time with Yusuke and look for clues about what else Madarame might be doing.” She declared. I nodded, we had a plan now, we just had to wait for Sunday.

* * *

“Jeez, it’s crowded.” I mumbled under my breath. Ann looked around and nodded. “He is pretty popular after all. Think you’ll be okay?” She asked, giving me a concerned look. I nodded, keeping an eye out for Yusuke, catching a glance of Goro looking around for Madarame. “I’ll be alright, we should try to find Yusuke.” I muttered. Ann nodded and began to move forward, me sticking as close to her as I could. Pretty soon we saw Yusuke and he approached. “You came! And you brought your friend I see.” He seemed much more friendly now that it was just me and Ann. Ann giggled and waved her hand. “My other friends are around here somewhere but he kinda insisted he stay with me.” She said. Yusuke nodded and looked at me. “Akira, correct? I’m very glad you came.” He said with a small smile on his face.

“I-I just wanted to make sure Ann would be okay…” I mumbled, not looking Yusuke in the eyes. I scanned him, looking for evidence of makeup possibly concealing bruises or him treating one leg or arm more gingerly. Yusuke smiled and nodded. “I can understand why you might be a little anxious. Come along, we can look at the exhibit while we talk about my offer.” He said. Yusuke turned and began to talk and I saw it, he had a slight limp in his right leg. _ ‘His leg is definitely injured.’ _ I thought, pulling out my phone. 

**Joker:** he’s definitely got some injuries.

**Skull:** something’s definitely off about this exhibit, I’ll keep looking for more stuff.

**Crow:** keep up the good work guys, we are not leaving this exhibit until we learn more.

I put my phone back in my pocket and kept close to Ann, holding onto her bag so I wouldn’t get seperated from her. I couldn’t see anymore obvious injuries and the lighting of the exhibit was making it hard to see if Yusuke was wearing makeup. I nudged Ann and pulled out my phone, messaging her directly. 

**Akira:** i can’t tell if he’s got makeup on, i need to be closer.

**Ann:** got it, I’ll figure something out.

After a bit Ann sent a message to someone else and put her phone away, turning to Yusuke as he talked. Only a few minutes later her phone rang and she pulled it out, I caught a glance of Goro’s contact on screen. Ann grimaced and looked at Yusuke. “It’s my agent, I need to take this. Do you mind staying with Akira for a while? I wouldn’t be long.” She said. I realize quickly what she was doing. _ ‘Very clever Ann, leave me alone with Yusuke and I can get close to him.’ _

Yusuke frowned slightly but nodded. “It’s not a problem I assure you.” He said. Ann smiled and pushed me on Yusuke, I immediately latched myself onto his arm. “I’ll be back soon.” She said before running off. Now much closer to the artist I took the chance to look over his face for signs of makeup, sure enough there was a patch of it smeared under his right eye, I just barely managed to see it but it was definitely there. After a bit the artist cleared his throat. “I apologize that you’re stuck with me, you must be horribly uncomfortable.” He muttered. I tightened my hold on Yusuke’s arm as someone brushed by me. _ ‘God I can’t handle crowds, it’s always worse when someone brushes against me.’ _ “I-it’s not your fault. B-b-besides, I’m always uncomfortable in crowds. T-they make me anxious.” I mumbled. 

Yusuke looked a bit concerned but before he could say anything else he saw Ann coming back. The rest of the time we spent there Yusuke talked about the modeling job and Ann eventually agreed to think about so the two exchanged numbers. After that we left, meeting up with the others waiting at the underground passageway. 

“What did you learn?” I asked upon arriving. Ryuji spoke up first. “Madarame’s… what’s it called? ‘Repertoire’? Anyways it’s suspectedly wide, basically paints in all styles which is very rare for an artist to do.” He said. Goro sighed softly. “I heard about that, anyways all I managed to get is that his house is this old shack before I got trampled by a crowd of fans. I barely got out without injury.” He said. Mishima spoke next. “I looked at all the paintings and they are all in very different styles. I looked very close and even saw different brush techniques.” He said. 

“What about you Akira? Did you see what you needed?” Ann asked. I nodded and looked at them all. “Yeah, when I got closer I definitely saw a patch of makeup that’s probably covering a bruise. He also has a slight limp so he definitely has gotten a leg injury recently.” I said. Ryuji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “So Yusuke’s probably getting abused and there’s probably some plagiarism going on but how do we confirm that for sure?” He said.

I puffed out my cheeks and sighed. “I still haven’t seen Yusuke and Madarame interact with each other which would be the nail in the coffin and we don’t know if Yusuke will tell us about the plagiarism.” I said. Ann sighed but looked up. “Yusuke did give me their address, how about we go there tomorrow after school? We can talk as he paints.” She suggested. I smiled brightly. “That’s actually a good idea Ann. Are you guys fine hanging back for this one and trying to track down more leads?” I asked turning to the rest. 

Goro looked very unhappy about this suggestion. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” He asked. I nodded, smiling. “Yusuke will probably feel more comfortable if it’s just the two of us. Leave it to us.”

* * *

_ Yusuke’s POV _

I heard the car door slam before the engine started. _ He’s leaving, thank god. _ I thought to myself, clutching my injured wrist. Madarame had slammed it against the counter, why he did that I wasn’t sure of. Sometimes he just does things like that. I sigh as I lean back against the couch, I didn’t know how long he would be gone but I intended to savor the peace and quiet him leaving brought. I heard the intercom buzzed and sighed, someone was at the door. I walked over and pressed the button. “Madarame sensei isn’t here right now.” I said, hoping to just be done with this. The intercom crackled before a voice came out. _ “It’s me, Ann. And Akira is with me of course.” _ My heart leaped into my chest at that. _ My savior! If I can get the painting done today then I’ll be safe for at least a while. _ “I’ll be right out!” I called before rushing for the door, tripping on a few things before I got there.

When I finally opened the door Takamaki and Akira were waiting there, Akira still looking rather shy. I knew I was beaming at the two. “Takamaki-san! Akira-kun! I’m very glad you came!” _ Madarame will at least act polite while they’re around. As long as they’re here I’m safe. _ I thought, ushering the two inside. “We can get started right away, if you want to that is?” I said. Takamaki looked at me and smiled gently. “That’s fine, where did Madarame go though?” She asked. I began leading them to my room. “Honestly I don’t know, he just left.” I said.

We entered my room, an isle was already set up and there were places to sit. Akira looked at me with a soft frown on his face. “D-doesn’t that worry you? T-that you don’t know where he is?” He asked. I shrugged as I grabbed a canvas and set it up on the isle. “He does it all the time.” I said. I directed Takamaki to sit down and take a position she found comfortable before I picked up my pencil and began to draw. My wrist hurt slightly but I tried to ignore it and continue drawing. I glanced over at Akira who had sat down in a chair that was out of the way, humming softly to himself.

The tune was that I was unfamiliar with but it was still lovely, a mysterious tune to go with Akira’s shy and mysterious personality. I continued to draw, trying to capture the mysterious notes drifting through the air when I moved my injured wrist the wrong way and a stab of fresh pain caused me to drop the pencil and hold it to my chest with a sharp hiss.

“Are you okay Kitagawa-kun?” I looked up in surprise, Takamaki was looking at my wrist in concern. I let go of it and put on my best smile. “I’m alright Takamaki-san, my wrist just hurts a little but it’s fine.” I said.

“It doesn’t look fine.” The words were soft and without the usual stutter that came when Akira spoke, he was focused completely on my wrist. The raven haired boy stood up and walked over. “Can I see it?” He asked gently. _ He isn’t asking what’s wrong, he’s asking to see it. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. _ After a bit I nodded and allowed Akira to take my wrist. The raven ran his fingers around my wrist gently, like he was trying to locate something. Eventually he stopped and pressed an area, I yelped at the sting of pain that came from it.

“Probably a fracture, definitely not okay for sure. Is there a first aid kit around here?” Akira asked. I sighed but nodded. “It’s in the kitchen.” I said. Akira nodded and took me there, telling me gently to sit at the table as he looked for the kit. He quickly located the kit and pulled out the roll of bandages. “Give me your wrist.” I obeyed quietly and let him take it. He wrapped the bandages around my wrist twice very loosely, I didn’t know how that would help until he pulled it tight causing my to yelp at the sharp sting that came. Akira tied it off and put the rest of the roll back in the kit and put it away. After the sting my wrist actually felt slightly better, the throding having lessened and it no longer hurt that much when I moved it.

“That should help with the pain and keep the swelling down for a while.” Akira said as he sat down across from me. The boy then sighed and looked at me. “Yusuke is there something going on? I saw a line of bruising around where the fracture is which tells me that it was slammed against something and something tells me that you didn’t do that yourself.” He said. I clutched my wrist and looked away from him. _ Madarame said that if I told anyone it’d only get worse, but Akira and Takamaki don’t even have contact with him. _“We wouldn’t tell anyone, promise.” Akira said gently. 

With a soft sigh I looked at him. _ I don’t know what else to do, maybe they’ll be able to help me. _ Before I spoke up I looked down. “It was Madarame, before he left.” I whispered. I looked up after a bit and saw a look on Akira’s face that I couldn’t quite describe aside from pure anger. “What does he seem to care about the most? There must be a way we can bring him down.” He asked. I managed to meet Akira’s eyes as I spoke. “Most money and fame, that’s he’s only cares.” I said.

“We’ll help you Yusuke, trust me. Are there any rooms you’re not allowed to go in? We might be able to find something there.” The raven haired boy asked. I didn’t have to think long to come up with an answer. “There are two actually, one is his room. The other is a storage room for old paintings.” I said. Akira nodded and stood up. “Can you show me the storage room?” He asked. I nodded and lead him to the storage room, the hefty lock still present on the door. “I don’t have a key so I can’t open it, sorry.” I said softly. Akira shook his head and smiled. “It’s okay Yusuke, you’ve done enough as it is. Thank you for trusting me.” He said.

“I just want it to stop.” I whispered softly. Akira placed a hand on my shoulder and I saw a thin scar running across the back of it. “We’ll help, don’t you worry. I can’t really explain it now but you’ve helped us.” He said. Takamaki appeared after a bit with a frown on her face. “We should go, Madarame just pulled up.” She said. Akira frowned but I gave him a nudge. “Go, I’ll be fine. I’ll find a way to pacify him for now and buy time.” I reassured. Akira gave me a look but nodded and the two left. Only a few moments later I heard the door creak open. _ Just a little longer, I just have to put up with this for a little longer. _ I thought, my will strengthened. And just like that I felt something in my heart shift, ever so slightly. I could do this, that I knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will contain going to the Palace on maybe some other stuff. Leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, I love hearing what you guys have to say and it helps motivate me to write. Until next time, bye!


	13. Museum of Vanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring the museum of vanity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of 2020. Hope you all enjoy!

_ Akira’s POV _

I took a deep breath as we got farther away from Madarame’s shack and Yusuke, the look on the boy’s face still clear in my mind. Scared but more than ready to do what is needed to get out of there. Ann looked at me and patted my shoulder. “Yusuke will be fine Akira, he knows how to handle Madarame.” She reassured. Morgana poked his head out of my bag and nodded. “That’s right, I have no doubt that Yusuke will be okay. We should check of a Palace now.” He said.

“Right, let’s meet up with the others and do that.” I said. The others were not that far away from the shack so it was easy to meet up. We informed the rest about what Yusuke told us. Goro hummed and rubbed his chin. “So Madarame cares only about money and fame. Let’s check of a Palace now.” He said. I nodded and pulled out my phone, opening the Meta Nav. “Ichiryusai Madarame.” I spoke to the app.

**“Candidate found.”** It chirped back at us. Mishima leaned forward. “Mementos.” He said, naturally checking if it was a Palace or just an area in Mementos. 

**“Candidate not found.”** The Nav chimed. Ryuji hummed softly and crossed his arms. “So it’s a Palace. In that case…” The bottle blonde leaned forward to speak to the app. “...Shack.” He said simply. 

**“Candidate found.”** It chimed. Goro ruffled Ryuji’s hair with a proud smile. “We’re one step closer. Now… what does he see that shack as?” He hummed softly. Ryuji’s shoe scuffed against the sidewalk and he spoke up. “Let’s try something art related. He is an artist so it might be tied to that.” He suggested. Ann smiled and nodded. “That’s a good idea. How about art school?” She inquired. 

**“Candidate not found.”** The Nav chirped back. Ann hummed and looked up at the sky in thought. “Art studio?” She said.

**“Candidate not found.”** Mishima looked at the Nav as it said that. “It makes me feel bad every time we get the key words wrong.” He said. Goro gave him a pat as I thought about what to put in next. Morgana’s tail brushed my nose as he stood comfortably on my shoulders. “Getting the key words right is a guessing game Mishima. All we can do is try to figure it out the best we can.” He said. Mishima nodded and I got an idea. “What about museum? Artwork from famous artists are often put in museums.” I said.

**“Match found, beginning navigation.”** The Nav chirped. Ryuji grinned at me widely. “Hell yeah! We’re in!” He exclaimed. Goro looked around before looking back at us. "I don’t see anyone nearby to see us enter the Palace, shall we go in?” He asked. Everyone nodded and Morgana huffed softly. “I’m ready when you are.” He said. I nodded as well and hit the button to enter.

**“Entering the Museum of Vanity.”**

* * *

The familiar lightheadedness faded quickly and we looked around, the Palace wasn’t too far back and we could all clearly see it, not like it would be hard to miss with how light up it was.

“Woah! I can see it from here!” Mishima exclaimed.

“Yup, that’s a Palace. It’s far too sparkly for my taste.” Goro huffed.

“Madarame must really be full of himself for this to be his Palace.” Ryuji said, crossing his arms.

“Ugh, gold. How tacky.” Ann huffed, disgusted by the sight.

“Remember that we’re only here to steal the Treasure. But I do agree with all of you.” Morgana said, still perched on my shoulders but now in his two legged form. I nodded and took in the surrounding area. There was a large crowd of cognitions on the opposite sidewalk with some spilling out onto the road, there appeared to be no cars driving on said road, all leading up to the Palace. I looked at the group, a small smile appeared on my face as I saw Goro in his knightly outfit.  _ ‘I’m glad he trusts everyone enough to be himself around them. Guess I’m not the only one improving in certain areas.’ _

“We’re already seen as threats, even from over here. Clearly Madarame is a distrustful person.” I said. Everyone took a moment to check and see that they were indeed in their phantom wear. Mishima pulled out his phone and flipped through it for a moment before tucking it away. “Let’s move, the sooner we get through this place the better.” He said. I nodded and we all moved forward, heading towards the bright lights showing off the golden museum.

* * *

It only took maybe five minutes of walking for us to reach the front of the museum, the line was still clearly as long as it was five minutes ago and there appeared to be no way in through the line. Ryuji tapped his foot impatiently. “How are we getting in? Rule number one of being a phantom thief is not using the front door, or at least that’s what Mona says.” He said. I looked around and spotted our way in, a truck was very conveniently parked next to a low point in the wall. “Jackpot, I found our way in.” I said, running over to the truck and jumping on top, easily leaping onto the wall from there.

The others quickly followed me, Goro using the claws of his outfit to help him climb better. He winced as he looked at the wall, seeing the slight scratches that his claws left behind during his climb. “We really shouldn’t leave evidence we were here.” He said. I shook my head and looked down at the garden below us. “We’ll worry about that later. Come on, let’s get moving. We still need to get inside.” I said. I jumped down, adsorbing the shock of the fall by doing a body roll which allowed me to get up quickly. Ryuji followed behind closely, managing to pull off the roll with only minor difficulty and only a slight hiss from straining his bad leg a bit.

Ann came much less gracefully then Ryuji and I since she ended up landing in a bush, luckily she held in any yelps of pain that could get us discovered and extracted herself from the bush, trying to make as little noise as possible which she managed to pull off. Morgana landed like a cat, on his feet and softly so we looked back up at the last two still on the wall. Goro rolled twice and ended up on his back but he quickly recovered, only glaring slightly at Ryuji when the blonde snickered. Mishima was the last one down, when we saw his hesitancy Goro and I got in position, ready to catch him.

Only once we were in position did the supporter jump down, landing in our arms and allowing us to set him down on the ground. I took a peek at the front entrance and saw a shadow, it was dressed like a security guard and it’s mask was heart shaped.  **“The museum is now closed to visitors, please come back tomorrow. Hey, can I get some help with this crowd?”** It’s voice was of course distorted like most shadow voices. 

“Guess if we even wanted to get in through the front it’d be difficult. Let’s find a way around back.” Mishima whispered. With a nod I began leading the others around the back, using the abstract design of the museum to our advantage we found our way to an open skylight. I peeked inside and noticed very few guards were patrolling the area but any surface to stand on was a ways down. I turned to look at the group. “Anyone got a rope? Looks let we’ll need to lower ourselves down.” I said. Ryuji nodded immediately and pulled out a coil of rope from the bag he had slung over his shoulder. “I knew we’d eventually need a rope so it’s a good thing I brought some.” He said as he tied it down. The blonde threw it down and we watched as a little bit of the length fell into a loose ring at the bottom.

“I suppose having too much is much better than having too little.” Goro said, tugging on the rope to insure it was secure. Satisfied that it could hold our weight Goro switched to his prince outfit before grabbing on. “Don’t want to possibly damage it with my claws.” He explained when he saw our looks. He then lowered himself down carefully, touching the ground easily and without incident. Ann went next, when she and Goro were both down there Morgana leaped down, the two easily catching him and setting him down. Ryuji slid down the rope next, he must have put too much pressure on his bad leg because once he was down he hissed and clutched it, making a point to sit down. “Are you okay Skull?” I called down, making sure to be quiet since we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. He didn’t give a verbal response but he got up after a bit and gave me a thumbs up so I knew he’d be alright.

I nudge Mishima so he grabbed the rope and went down before me, he managed it without incident so I grabbed the rope and started lowering myself down. I got maybe half way down before my grip suddenly slipped and I began to fall. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to hit something hard but hoping all the same that I would be caught. Sure enough I hit something warm and soft making me let out the breath I was holding and looking up at Goro to smile at him. “Thanks for the catch Crow, that surely would have gotten us discovered.” I said. Goro nodded and set me down on the ground. “No problem Joker, I think we all nearly had a heart attack.” He said, tone slightly teasing.

“If anyone here would have a heart attack over Joker falling it would have been you Crow.” Ryuji said. The two knocked each other around a little bit making me snicker quietly and Ann giggle, Mishima just rolled his eyes. The two’s banter was light and something we’ve all gotten used to, it was just another part of the group dynamic. After the two got that out of their system I lead the way and hopped down to the floor of the museum, the others following suit. I took the chance to look around the room, noticing the paintings right away. They were all of different people causing me to walk up and look at the name plate under it which held a name and age, totally unlike the usual paintings.

“This is so weird. Kamoshida’s Palace didn’t have anything like this right?” Mishima asked, looking at one of the distorted paintings. Morgana shook his head. “No, nothing like this.” He said. Ryuji turned the corner and looked at us. “You guys should see this.” He said. I walked over and looked where Ryuji was pointing, a certain painting that held a familiar face. 

“It’s Nakanorhara.” Ann whispered, approaching the painting. Goro’s gaze bore into the painting before he looked at us. “He was a pupil of Madarame. All of these paintings are probably of his former pupils, we’ll probably find one for Kitagawa-kun too.” He said. Ryuji looked at the painting before shaking his head. “These aren’t just paintings, they’re probably the pupils themselves. His twisted cognition of them.” The blonde muttered.

“Skull’s right, these are Madarame’s cognition of them.” Morgana whispered. I looked around and found Yusuke’s painting. I couldn’t help but reach out and touch it, the eyes in the painting not that far off from the look in Yusuke’s eyes when we first arrived at the shack. I felt Goro standing next to me before I turned to look at him, staring at the painting as well. “Kitagawa-kun is brave, telling you about what was happening.” He whispered. I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded. “Let’s get moving, the sooner we find a map the sooner we know where we’re going.” I said softly. Goro nodded and we moved forward.

We made our way to the lobby, the different colored couches all in different shapes were probably one of the few things not covered in gold of any kind. On a rack there appeared to be pamphlets for the museum. Pamphlets often contained a map for guests in case they wanted to see a certain part of the museum so with that in mind I picked one up and flipped through it, quickly finding the map we were looking for. 

“Does it show the location of the Treasure?” Mishima asked when I showed him the map. I glanced over the map and frowned. “Says it’s one of two, the other must be around here somewhere. Until we find it though we’ve at least got an idea of how big half the museum is.” I said. Mishima groaned but took the map in one hand and held out the other, a digital map appearing at his fingertips. “Does any of the rooms look big enough to house the Treasure?” He asked, looking at Morgana.

The cat leaped onto Mishima’s shoulders and looked at the map, quickly shaking his head. “No, it’s probably in an area not shown here. Security will also get tighter around the Treasure.” He said. Goro nodded and we started moving forward again. We came into large circular room in the museum housing an abstract statue stood. Ann moved forward and kneeled down to read the message at the base of the statue. “'The Infinite spring. A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living.'” She looked sick reading that. Morgana huffed as he looked at the statue. "This could be about the abuse and plagiarism. He takes their ideas in exchange for their livelihood and keeps them around as long as their useful. But the moment their not…" He didn't have to finish that for us to understand the meaning.

“This has to stop, there’s no doubt about it.” Goro said. I nodded and looked over at Ryuji when I heard him hiss. “You okay Skull? Is your leg troubling you?” I asked gently. Ryuji looked over at me, still rubbing his bad leg. After a moment he sighed. “It has it’s good and bad days. Today is a bad day. It’s fine, I’ll just stay in the back lines for now.” The blonde said. I frowned but nodded, he at least realized that he probably shouldn’t fight with his leg acting up and was willing to stay back for today. 

We moved forward swiftly before finally coming across a shadow we couldn’t avoid. “Everyone ready?” I asked, looking back at my team. Goro’s claws scraped against the ground as he got ready to pounce, just waiting for the order. Ann’s hand gripped her whip and Morgana crouched down. Mishima’s hand settled on his mask to be ready to release Walter Bishop. With that I launched forward and landed on the shadow’s shoulders, easily tearing off the mask before flipping off. It formed into five enemies, one being bird like standing on one foot.  _ ‘Time to test out the new persona.’ _ I thought, hand going to my mask to tap it. “Jack Frost!” The snowman like creature appeared right away when I called him.

A snowball formed in Jack Frost’s hand and he flung it at the bird like shadow, it splitting apart and each piece forming a sharp ice shard that sliced through the shadow. It shrieked and fell to its knees, Goro immediately rushed in the finish it off. Ann’s whip was wrapped around a fairy looking shadow so I threw my dagger, it cuts clean through its neck and it dissolved into ash. Morgana leaped into the air and pulling out his slingshot, easily knocking another shadow down that Goro killed once it was on the ground. It was almost too easy to finish off the last two. We kept moving forward but that this point I realized that Ryuji was having trouble keeping pace with us. Once we found a safe room I turned to everyone. “We’re done for today. I know we haven’t made much progress but I would much rather come back when Skull is able to keep up.” I said.

No one protested. There were nods all around and we left for the day. I walked Ryuji home and right outside his front door, he turned to me. “Sorry for slowing us down, I know you want to get through there as soon as possible to help Yusuke.” He said, not meeting my eyes. I huffed softly and shook my head. “You can’t help your leg Ryuji. We’ll get back in there when you’re having a better day, okay?” I said softly. The blonde looked at me but eventually nodded so I left, heading for Leblanc.

When I arrived Sojiro looked up from his paper. “Ah, you’re back. You took a while.” He said, not even asking what kept me. “R-Ryuji was having a bad day with his leg so I walked him home.” I explained. Sojiro nodded and I swear there was a soft smile on his face. “That’s very nice of you to walk him home.” He said. I nodded and walked upstairs, once in my attic bedroom I pulled out my phone and sat down.

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Joker:** when skull’s feeling better we’re going into the palace so be ready to head in at any time.

**Panther:** it kinda sucks we didn’t make that much progress today

**Skull:** sry everyone

**Crow:** it’s not your fault Skull, honestly it’s technically Kamoshida’s fault, he broke your leg.

**Skull:** guess u looked into my records

**Crow:** yup, btw are you really going to testify at his trial?

**Skull:** I'm not the only one, pretty sure Panther and Admin are going to as well.

**Crow:** I'm really proud of you guys.

**Admin:** is Joker not going to testify too?

**Joker:** he barely did anything to me and i have just arrived, what can my testimony possibly tell?

**Admin:** That is true but you did record the entire confession and you didn't even bother to hide it so they may ask you to come forward with the recording.

**Joker:** if they wanted my recording then they would have asked for it.

There was a knock on the wall causing me to look up to see Sojiro standing there with a worried look on his face. "Someone's here to see you kid." He said simply. The blanket I had hung up for privacy was pushed aside and Sae Niijima walked through, I felt my body tense immediately at the sight of the procurer. She seemed to see that as she raised her hands where I could see them and spoke softly. "Hello Akira-kun, I'm Sae Niijima. I came to the café a while back, do you remember that?" A soft smile graced her face as she spoke.

I nodded, confirming that I recognized her from her visit to the cafe. Sae moved farther into the room and sat down on the couch nearby. She continued to smile as I drew my knees up to my chest. “You also go to Shujin, correct?” She asked softly. I nodded, the pieces of the puzzle were clicking into place by now. Sae glanced at my phone that I was still holding and I knew what she was probably going to ask next. 

“Several of your classmates told investigators that you appeared to be recording Kamoshida’s confession. Is that true?” She asked, voice still soft and gentle. I knew I had to talk at this point. “Y-yeah, I re-recorded the whole thing.” I said, not proud of the stutter in my voice but it couldn’t really be helped.

“Why did you decide to record his confession? Is it because of what he did to you?” Sae asked. I immediately shook my head. “T-that’s not it. S-sure he basically destroyed any second c-chance I had a Shujin b-but I think GoGo is more upset about it than I am. T-the reason I did was b-because of Shiho-chan. S-she tried to commit suicide because of w-what Kamoshida did to her. I-I figured that she d-deserved to hear his confession as much as the rest of us affected by him did.” I said.

I figured that she would ask about my visit to the hospital with Ann or the fact that I befriended Ryuji but what she did ask surprised me. “Who’s this GoGo you mentioned? He sounds like a close friend of yours.” She asked with a tilt of her head. Morgana curled into my lap as I took a breath. “Goro Akechi, we’ve been best friends since we were little. H-he acts like he hates it when I call him GoGo but I c-can tell he doesn’t mind.” I said.

“And he didn’t like what Kamoshida did?” Sae asked gently. I shook my head, running a hand down Morgana’s back. “N-no, but he had an idea of what we could do about it. He planted bugs in the PE faulty office when Kamoshida wasn’t there, figuring that they would eventually get something.” I said. Sae tapped her knee gently and I looked up at her, a more concerned look on her face. “And did they yield anything?” She asked.

I looked back at Morgana as I spoke again. “I-I don’t know, if they did he never told me about it. H-he planted them the d-day Shiho-chan t-tried to commit s-suicide.” I managed to get out. Morgana rubbed his face against mine, a silent way of comfort. Sae frowned but she did speak again. “Can I see the video you made?” She asked. I nodded and pulled up the video on my phone and showed it to her. She played the first few seconds before stopping it. “Can you send it to me?” She asked. I nodded and did just that. 

Sae was about to leave before I spoke up. “Niijima-san? I-I don’t want to go to court. I-I wouldn’t be able to say anything in front of a j-jury.” I told her. Sae stood at the doorway for a few moments before she spoke. “I understand Akira, I wouldn’t ask you to testify unless you have to.” She promised. I smiled at that, relieved. “T-thank you Niijima-san.”

* * *

_ Sae’s POV _

Akira’s words kept bouncing around my head, even the next day at the office.

_ “I-I don’t want to go to court. I-I wouldn’t be able to say anything in front of a j-jury.” _

_ “Goro Akechi, we’ve been best friends since we were little.” _

_ ‘If Akechi and Akira are best friends then Akechi would know a lot about Akira’s relationship with his parents. Akechi would also probably be very protective of Akira, but he already had a way to take Kamoshida down. Would he really risk trying to force the man to confess?’ _ I was jerked out of my thoughts by a coffee cup being set down on my desk. When I looked up I saw Akechi’s gentle smile directed at me.

“You looked tired so I thought some coffee might help. Case on your mind?” He asked. I smiled at him and pick up the cup, taking a sip from the coffee. “Sort of, you know Akira Kurusu?” I asked. Akechi visibly perked at the mention of him. “Mhm. He’s been my best friend since we were little. Why do you ask?” He asked, tilting his head.  _ 'I should tread carefully, I don't want to lose Akechi's trust.' _ I thought before speaking again. "So you would know about his parents and his relationship with them."

Akechi visibly tensed. “It’s really not my place to say anything about Aki and his parents.” He said after a bit. I frowned but realized that Akechi might not want to say anything in the office where any nosey coworker could overhear. So I stood up from my desk.

“Let’s get some sushi, my treat.”

* * *

“I understand that Akira came to Tokyo on probation. He’s under Sojiro Sakura’s care and is going to Shujin Academy. A while back Sakura-san brought up some concerns he had about Akira to me and asked me to investigate.” I said. Akechi was pointedly not looking at me, focusing on the food on his plate.

I sighed and looked at him. “I know he’s your best friend and that you care about him a lot, you’re very loyal to him. But if he’s being abused by his parents then it’s better for him if you speak up. You don’t want him to continue being hurt, do you?” I questioned. 

Akechi was frowning deeply but still refused to look up. I knew that at this point questioning him further would just make him clam up further. I picked up my chopsticks, ready to call it quits when I heard it.

“I promised him that I wouldn’t tell.” Akechi whispered softly.

“Why? Wouldn’t it be better for him to be out of that toxic home?” I asked.

Akechi huffed a humorless laugh. “The foster system didn’t treat me kindly, not one bit. How can I trust the system that broke me to treat Akira with care? He knows about my troubles as a foster child, neither of us want that for him. Besides, who wants to adopt a beaten up sixteen year old? Everyone wants babies or little kids, not a teenager with major mental scarring.” He mumbled.

I wanted to rebuff Akechi’s argument with one of my own but I didn’t have one, because he was right. People who adopt often go for the younger children and hardly ever consider the older ones that have been in the system longer. Akechi has also told me a majority of the neglect and abuse he suffered from his foster families. Akira needed a loving home that was understanding of his problems, I doubt he would find any of that in the foster system.

_ ‘A loving home with people that are understanding of his issues and more than willing to give him his space.’ _ I thought, putting a hand to my chin.  _ ‘I need to talk with Sakura-san about this.’ _

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Skull _ ** _ posted  _ ** _season_3.jpg_ ** _ to the chat~ _

**Skull:** anyone up for a binge session?

**Admin:** is your leg still acting up?

**Skull:** yeah, i think going to the Palace didn’t really help it. i should really start training again.

**Crow: ** do you go to physical therapy?

**Skull:** can’t afford it.

**Joker:** i hope you feel better soon. anyone else want to head over and binge?

**Admin:** I might already be on the train.

**Panther:** me too

**Crow: ** I'm on my way.

**Skull:** sweet! see ya soon!

"It's kinda odd Ryuji offered a binge session like this so last minute." Morgana said. I huffed at the cat quietly as he settled onto my shoulders. "He doesn't want to be alone right now. That would be my guess. Best way that he can think of getting us over is offering a binge session." I said. Morgana's ears flipped back and his tail flicked as a worried expression appeared on his face. "Do you think it has anything to do with his leg?" He asked.

I shrugged. “No idea, let’s go visit him.” The walk to Ryuji’s apartment was short since he lived near Yogen-Jaya, once I arrived at the right apartment I knocked on the door. 

“It’s open!” Ryuji called from inside.

I pushed open the door and easily spotted my friend, his leg propped up on a footstool with an icepack resting on his leg. I walked over to him but didn’t sit down. “Hey, you feeling okay?” I asked gently. Ryuji didn’t even bother putting up a fight as he sighed and looked down at his leg. “No, my leg hurts like a bitch and I can barely bend my knee without hurtin’ it. I’m just trying to numb the pain right now.” He said. Morgana was still laying on my shoulders and huffed. “You know Goro would get onto you for swearing in front of Akira.” He said.

Ryuji merely shrugged and stared down at his leg, lost in thought. I glanced at the icepack on his leg and saw that most of the cubs inside had melted, clearly it had been there for a while.  **‘You know what would help, don’t you?’** Arsene muttered softly.  _ ‘Yeah, I do.’ _

I gently removed Morgana from his post on my shoulders and looked at the kitchen. “You have rice right?” I asked. Ryuji looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, doesn’t everyone?” He said.

I shrugged and walked to the kitchen, mission set in my mind. I first needed to locate the rice. I began opening cabinets in search of it when Morgana came up and hopped onto the counter. “If you’re feeling hungry I’m sure there’s food in the fridge.” He said.

I chuckled and shook my head. “The rice isn’t for me Mona.” I said, finally finding it and pulling it out. Morgana was clearly confused as I placed the rice in a bag and shoved it into the microwave to heat up. “If you’re not going to eat it then what  _ are _ you doing with it?” He asked.

“You’ll see very soon.” I said as the microwave finished and I pulled out the rice bag. I returned to Ryuji in the living room with my rice bag in tow, the blonde clearly confused when he saw it.

“It’ll help, trust me.” I said. Ryuji stared for a bit before nodding.

I sat down next to Ryuji and removed the ice from his leg and replacing it with the heated rice pack. Ryuji immediately began to relax as the heat got to work. “That actually does make it feel a lot better. Thanks.” He said. I smiled softly, adjusting the pack a bit.

“Heat works great to relax tense muscles and sooth pain. Learned that from Takemi.” I said. Ryuji nodded and looked at me again with a soft expression. “You still doing stuff for her?” He asked.

“The clinical trials aren’t bad, they just sometimes make me feel bad. She’s also not a bad person, she’s really nice.” I said. After first meeting her I’ve made a point to visit Takemi every now and then and help her with the medicine she was making. Luckily she didn’t expect me to talk much and was often satisfied with my short answers to questioned. And if she had a problem with the stutter I often spoke with when talking to her she doesn't mention it. She also didn't push when I refused to do something because it made me uncomfortable.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the door opening. Goro easily trotted inside a plastic bag in hand.  _ ‘Guess it’s binge time.’ _

* * *

_ Goro’s POV _

“God, the security in this place is an bitch!”

“Skull language! Joker is right over there!”

“Bite me!”

“Quiet down you two, we’re supposed to be Phantom thieves remember? We have to be quiet.”

“Why are you getting onto me?! Admin nearly walked right into a shadow earlier.”

“It’s not my fault I didn’t see it! Besides you’re the loudest here Skull.”

“If you guys don’t stop then I’ll turn us around and we’ll go right back to the safe room so you can continue this there. We can’t risk being caught remember?” Akira snapped. The four of us immediately stopped, I looked down sheepishly. 

“Sorry, I know that I sort of caused this.” I said. There were muttered apologizes from the other three involved in the fight and Ann sighed from her place next to Akira. “Everyone has fights every now and then, even good friends. Here however is a bad place to have one.” She said.

With a sigh Akira kept walking, the rest of us following as he jumped over infrared lasers that he managed to notice with the Third Eye ability that Igor gave him.  _ ‘No, the false Igor. Justine said that the one in the Velvet Room right now isn’t the true Igor. But who is he and why does he want to play this stupid game he’s set up?’ _ I wondered to myself, following Akira’s lead.

Soon we came into a room that had a golden vase in the very middle of it. I was ready to just leave it there and continue on (despite how much we could sell it for it was big and bulky so in my books it wasn’t worth the trouble of trying to smuggle it out) but Morgana ground to a halt just in front of it. 

“Hold up! Are we really going to leave this vase? Just look at that golden shin~” The cat was practically drooling over the vase as he hopped onto it base. “There’s not way we can car-” Ryuji stopped talking as he eyed were Morgana’s feet were. “Mona… you’re standing on something.” 

Immediately I knew what was going on. “Booby trap!” I yelped, running forward. Before I got too far a cage of lasers surrounded me and I was trapped. I slowly turned to glare at Morgana who was now standing on the vase he was so enthralled by. “What. Happened. To being. Careful?!” I growled.

Morgana’s ears flattened to his head as he looked around. “Sorry everyone, I shouldn’t have been so hasty.” He said. I looked around to see who else was trapped in the laser grid. Ryuji was a little ways away from me, Ann was on the other side up against a glass wall like me, Mishima was closer to Morgana and wasn't against a glass wall, and Akira wasn't trapped at all.

The raven haired boy was laying on the floor with a familiar look on his face. He was trying to stay calm and not fall into a pit of despair, we were all tired by now. We've all been pushing ourselves to get through the Palace since we lost a good amount of time due to Ryuji's leg and were trying to make up for it. What Mona just did would cost us lots of time and whenever Akira runs into a block like this out of the blue he quickly starts to lose hope for anything going right. He tries to combat it by laying down and trying to think positive, sometimes he needs a nudge.

With a sigh I put my back as close as I dared to my cage of lasers and summoned Loki, just as I hoped he appeared outside the lasers. "Help us or help Akira." Loki sometimes wouldn't listen to me, a way I've found to get him to at least do something I want is by offering him a choice on what to do. He could either help us get out or help Akira get up and do something else after.

Loki glanced around the room before his eyes settled on Akira and he drifted over to him. The god of chaos lifted one of his golden hooves and gently began to nudge Akira with it.  **“Come on fawn, find your feet. They need you.”** He gently rumbled. He’s always called Akira ‘fawn’ because in his eyes the raven was like a baby deer, clumsy and sometimes needing a little help but adorable all the same.

Akira glared at Loki but when the god refused to give up and kept nudging him he stood, admittedly a bit shakily on his feet at first which really didn’t help Loki’s comparison to him and a baby deer. Once Akira was definitely on his feet and moving around Loki looked at me, then looked at the door.  **“I’m going to go scout ahead. Be back.”** With that he was off, not even waiting for me to protest him doing so because  _ I can’t summon two personas at once damnit _ .

“Does he usually not listen to you?” Ryuji asked. I sighed and crossed my arms. “Yeah, he’s difficult like that.” I said. On the other side of the room the glass wall raised allowing Ann to escape the lasers. Akira appeared very quickly at her side. “Alright, let’s get everyone else out.” He said.

With a nod the two vanished, reappearing above us on a ledge on the wall. “Be careful up there!” I called to them. Ann giggled at that. “Don’t worry, the ledge is plenty wide to travel across!” She said. They vanished from sight again once they hopped down. After a few moments the glass wall lifted and we were free. 

“Hell yeah! Nice job Joker!” Ryuji stepping out of the lasers. I followed him and Akira and Ann quickly joined us. We then all stared at were Mishima and Mona were, both pretty close together and not against glass walls to lift. 

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck as he stared. “Sooo… how are we going to get Mona and Admin out?” He asked. Akira huffed, glaring at Morgana who was still perched on the vase. “If Admin wasn’t in there with him and the exit was blocked with lasers then I’d just leave him there for a while as punishment.” He said.

Ryuji sighed and looked up at the ledge, eyeing a vent. “I’m sure there’s a way to shut off the lasers back in the security room we passed on our way here. Let’s find our way in.” 

Crawling through the vents is just as uncomfortable as it sounds when there are three other people crammed in it with you. I was wedged between Ryuji and Ann as we shuffled forward, every now and then Akira would stop and I would bump into Ryuji and Ann would bump into me. Eventually we came out into the security room Ryuji had seen and we hopped to the floor.

I stretched out once we were in the open space. “Thank God! That was too cramped for my liking.” I groaned. Akira rolled his eyes as he trotted over to the only computer that was on. I walked over to the computer as well and saw another roadblock, we needed to enter a password.

“Are you kidding me? Ugh! Passwords are such a pain to guess!” Ann groaned. I saw some shadows hanging around near by and got an idea. “They might know it, be right back.” I said before dashing to the corner and hiding behind it.

**“Have you heard? We might have intruders.”**

**“Yeah, they had me change the password and everything.”**

**“What did you change it to?”**

**“Hello.”**

**“W-what?”**

**“I said hello! 07734, when you put it in a calculator and turn it upside down it spells hello.”**

**“Isn’t that a bit childish?”**

**“Not like the intruders will know it. So next time you see the terminal be sure to say hello!”**

_ ‘That’s exactly what I’ll do.’ _ I thought with a grin on my face. I rushed back to the security room and stopped next to Akira. “It’s 07734.” I said. Akira raised an eyebrow at that but he never the less enter the code and grin when he was let in the computer. 

“Now we can free Admin and Mona and moved forward again.” He said, tapping a few buttons. In the main room the grid went down and Morgana hopped down from the vase.

“Great, let’s go meet up with those two again.” Ryuji said. We trotted into the main room and met up with Mishima and Morgana again, the former glaring at the latter.

“I hope you realize your mistake, that cost us a good chunk of time.” Mishima said. Ann nodded, crossing her arms. “That’s right, we have to steal the Treasure before June 5th. We already lost time, let’s try to not get distracted again.” She said. Morgana sighed and stared at the vase. “Sorry, I don’t know why I was so drawn to it. It wouldn’t happen again.” He said.

Akira looked at the vase and picked it up, holding it in his hands. “Let’s figure that out.” He said before promptly dropping the vase. Immediately after breaking a large jewel appeared from the broken remains of the vase. On instinct I leaped at it, bringing my claws down hard on the reflective surface of the jewel. The tumbled to the ground after my hit and something rose from it, the yellow eyes of it making me back up, my lack of a mask to summon a persona with made me feel bare.

Luckily Mona acted quickly and finished it off with a rather powerful Garu. Once it was gone a rather nice pile a money replaced it. As we gathered it up Ann looked at Morgana. “What was that thing? And why was it in the vase?” She asked. Morgana seemed to need to think for a moment before answering. “It was a Treasure Demon, they usually hide in expensive items like that vase. I’m surprised we’re just now starting to run into them.” He said, handing a yen to Akira.

“Guess it makes since to have a small fortune on it if it was a Treasure Demon.” Ryuji said with a small huff. We finished gathering the last of the yen when Loki finally returned, looking disappointed. “That’s got you down in the dumps?” I asked.  **“You’ll see pretty soon.”** He said, returning to my mask. 

We continued forward until we reached it, the courtyard full of lasers that had no gap to slip through and the large door that looked impossible to open. I felt my eye twitch as I stared that the area. “How are we going to get passed this??” I asked. Ann looked at us from the sign she just read. “It says there’s a way to turn it off inside.” She said. 

“But how are we going to  _ get _ inside?! If we try to get through this we’ll be swarmed by shadows and that door doesn’t look easy to open.” I asked, God I had a headache. Ryuji was tapping his foot as he stared at the door, thinking. He then turned to Mona. “This place is based on how Madarame views the world right?” 

“That’s right.”

“So there’s a chance that there’s a door like this in his shack right?”

“I believe so…” That’s when Akira’s eyes light up. “Wait a second, it that door! Panther don’t you recognize it?” He asked, looking at her. Ann stared for a few seconds before lighting up and nodding. “You’re right! It’s the door Yusuke showed us, the paint job is exactly the same.” She said.

“Did you see anything odd about it?” Ryuji asked. Akira nodded. “There was a hafty lock on it, much too big for what Madarame said is being stored in the room.” He said.

“And that is?” Ryuji asked. 

“Old paintings, that’s at least what he told Yusuke. He isn’t even allowed inside and Madarame apparently is the only one that has the key.” Akira said. Ryuji nodded and returned his gaze to Morgana. “So here’s my real question. If we open the door over there and Madarame sees it then what will happen to this door?” 

“Then-...” Morgana fell quiet as his eyes widened, then he began to grin. “How can you call yourself dumb after you pointed this out?” He said.

“What? What is it?” I asked.

“If we open the door in reality and Madarame sees it then the door here should open. But someone will have to be here to shut off the security.” Mona said. 

“I can do it, I’ve fought on my own before.” I said. Ryuji immediately shook his head. “I’m not going to let you go on you’re own, let me and Admin help.” He said.

“Me and Panther can go open the door. I really hope this works.” Akira said. 

“It should, let’s go. We’re done here for now.” Mona said. So with that we left.

* * *

“Are you certain this will work?” Ann asked. 

“Honestly it’s a 50/50 chance but we’ll have to take it if we want to steal the Treasure.” Mona said.

“Isn’t there a lock on the door? How are you going to get pass that?” Mishima asked. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve gotten pretty good at picking locks in the Metaverse so it shouldn’t be too hard.” Akira said.

“Let’s try to do this tomorrow, the sooner we clear this obstacle the better.” I said.

Everyone nodded and we all started for home, tomorrow would be a busy day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, I love hearing what you guys have to say. It motivates me to write.


	14. The brush of an artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I might like Yusuke's awakening the most and changed only a few things about it. Enjoy

_ Yusuke’s POV _

“Madarame will be home any minute! What are we going to do...?” I questioned softly. Akira was crouched in front of the locked door, hairpins moving inside the lock with a bit of difficulty. He growled softly as he continued to manipulate the pins. “This is actually much harder than before.” He mutters.

I hissed softly as I looked out the window. When the two had contacted me and told me they needed to get inside the locked room I was doubtful that they had a plan. Takamaki rested a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay Kitagawa-kun, we know what we’re doing.” She said. I sighed but nodded.  _ ‘This is a risk I’m going to take. I just want to be free.’ _

Akira’s cat was sitting on his shoulders, meowing every now and then. I kept looking out the window to see when Madarame would return, no matter how much I had protested they insisted that Madarame had to see the door open for what they were doing to work. Akira was still struggling with the hairpins in the lock when I saw it, Madarame’s car pulling into the driveway.

“He’s coming!” I hissed. Akira growled as he started struggling much harder. “I’m still not done! One of you will have to buy me some time.” He said. Ann ran forward, clearly ready to do just that.

**‘Are you just going to let her distract him on her own?’** _‘No.’_ I raced forward, Ann appeared in my sight rather quickly and I skidded to a stop next to her. She looked at me in surprise. “I’m not letting you face him on your own.” I said. She smiled at me softly and we both turned to the door as it opened.

“I’m home.” Madarame called.  **‘Don’t tip your hand too early, keep your cards close to your chest.’** I took a deep breath before forcing a peaceful expression on my face. “Welcome back sensei.” I said, bowing. Ann copied the movement. Madarame looked around and started moving towards the hall, we had to stop him.

Ann immediately stood in his way. “S-sorry but, um…”  _ ‘She’s at least trying.’ _ I stood next to her and cleared my throat. “Apologies sensei, Akira-kun brought his cat with him without my knowledge. When it got free it stepped in paint and started running around and now the hallway is covered in paint. Akira is trying to clean it up right now.” I lied. 

Ann shot me a smile before returning her attention to Madarame. “Yeah, sorry. Akira takes Morgana everywhere so it didn’t surprise me to see him in Akira’s bag but I didn’t think he’d jump out and start running around.” She said. Madarame raised an eyebrow but it didn’t look like he suspected anything at least.

_ Meow! _

Morgana came running down the hall, paint staining his paws as he ran circles around us, meowing.

“Ack! Grab that cat before it makes even more of a mess!” Madarame growled. Ann reached down to grab Morgana who dashed down the hall, we followed him. The door at the end of the hall was open and we arrived just in time to see Akira duck inside. “Guess he finally got it open.” Ann said. 

We didn’t wait any longer as we dashed inside with Morgana, Madarame calling over our shoulders to not go inside.

* * *

_ Goro’s POV _

We were all waiting around for the door to open, I was starting to worry about them when the door finally opened and the lasers shut down.

“Yes! My theory was right!” Ryuji said, pumping his fist in the air. I smiled as I looked at the blonde. “Yes it was, good thinking Skull.” I said, ruffling his hair. Ryuji chuckled happily and we rushed forward. “Let’s get going, I don’t want to fail and get scolded by Ann and Akira.”

We shot forward, heading right for the hall behind the door and immediately saw a guard standing there. Ryuji sighed but stretched out his legs. “Guess we’ll have no choice but to fight if we want to get pass.” He said. Mishima’s hand went up to his mask, ready when we needed him. Confirming that we were prepared we ran forward and stopped in front of the guard.

“Hey, out of the way! We’ve got business to attend to here!” Ryuji snarled, doing a very good job of looking intimidating. The shadow stared at up in surprise before it spoke.  **“That clothing…. Of course! You’re the brats that dare threaten Lord Madarame!”** It growled. Within seconds it dissolved and transformed into a black and yellow creature with a flat face surrounded by white fur.

**“You can not go any farther. You’re encroaching on Lord Madarame’s territory.”** It said, swiping a paw. Ryuji huffed. “You’ve got nothin’ on us. I’m more scared of screwin’ up and having Akira and Ann yell at me!” He said. Blue flames light up the room as Mishima summoned Walter Bishop and got ready to support us in the fight.

“This one seems pretty strong, nothing I can’t fix though~” He chirped. Mishima circled around us and I could feel my limbs become fast, he would make this fight child’s play. 

I launched myself forward, my leap more powerful than before, and brought my claws down on the shadow’s face. It shrieked and I just barely dodged its swinging claws but I couldn’t avoid falling to the ground.

Two shotgun blasts knocked it back long enough for Ryuji to run over and help me to my feet. “Thanks Skull.” I said before returning my attention to the shadow. I straighten up and braced myself for the recoil when it came. “Arrow Rain!” 

Robin Hood appeared at my beckon and unleashed a rain of holy arrows on the shadow. I winced at the sharp pain that perced me following the physical attack but luckily for me Ryuji wasn’t going to let the shadow recover enough to take the opening the move created.

“Headbutt!” Captain Kidd appeared right away and zipped towards the shadow. Kidd’s head collided with the shadow’s and it was knocked back again, looking dazed by the move. By this point I had recovered for the most part so I pulled out my gun. 

The hail of bullets I unleashed was what finished the shadow off. I high fived my teammates as we shortly celebrated our victory, Mishima giving us each a quick Dia. “Alright! Now let’s find that security room.”

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“It’s dark, I can’t see anything.”

“Takamaki-san, Akira-kun what are we going to do?”

“I think I’ve found the lights, hold on.” I flipped the light switch and the room was flooded with light. A gasp filled the air as we took in what was inside. Madarame hadn’t been lying completely when he said the room housed paintings, but they were all the same one but different sizes.

A woman with long black hair tossed over her shoulder wearing a red shirt, in the background was a circle of light and a tree branch, the woman’s lower half was shrouded by blue fog. This confused me, I wasn’t an art expert or anything but I knew a thing or two about art. The blue fog didn’t make sense with the context of the painting, the sky in it was clear so the fog was out of place in this scene.

Yusuke however was staring at it with an expression that I can only describe as fond. I walked over and stood next to him. “Do you know this painting?” I asked. He nodded right away. “It’s ‘Sayuri’, the very reason I became an artist. Madarame told me it was stolen by one of his pupils years ago.” He reached out to touch the painting but froze. When Yusuke pulled his hand back it was covered in blue paint.

“The paint is still wet.” Ann whispered. I looked around at the paintings and realized something, at first glance, sure they looked like the same one but upon looking closer I could see the differences in them. Some were harder to spot, a shade difference in the blue fog or an extra limb on the tree branch that wasn’t on another, some were much easier to see, the shirt being blue instead of red or the hair the wrong length or the tree branch being missing completely.

“Get out.” We all turned to see Madarame standing in the room now. Yusuke immediately turned to Madarame. “Why are there so many ‘Sayuri’s here? You said the original was stolen.” He questioned, pointedly showing his paint-cover hand. Madarame seemed to scramble for a bit for an answer. “After the original was stolen I tried to recreate it but all I ended up with was these copies. It’s lead to a terrible artist’s block.”

I frowned at the explanation. “B-but some of these are incorrect. L-like the ones with a blue shirt o-or no branch. H-how would you even make copies without the original?” I said. Madarame glared at me but Morgana caught my attention. “Akira!” I turned around and he pointed with his nose at an esale covered with a purple cloth. “This one’s different.” He said.

I walked forward and reached for the cloth, gently removing it from the esale. I had expected to see another Sayuri copy in progress but when my eyes landed on the painting I knew it was the real thing. The copies didn’t hold a candle to the real thing, the expression on her face made me feel something I haven’t ever experienced before. When I felt Yusuke’s hand on my shoulder I easily moved over so he could look at it more properly. After a bit he turned away from the painting to look at Madarame, a fire sparking to life in his eyes.

“You said it was stolen.” The simple accusation was all it took for Madarame to start scrambling. “That one is a counterfeit!” Yusuke’s lips curled back into a snarl. “It’s nothing of the sort! Why would you lie about it being stolen?!” Madarame was starting to look angry, I expected him to hit Yusuke but when he just pulled out his phone I was confused. He hit a button and held it up.

“I’ve just reported you to my private security company. I usually have it around for pisky reporters, I never thought it would come so in handy.” I froze up when I heard that.  _ ‘The hell?! He’s reporting children, one of which he’s practically raised!’ _ I looked at Yusuke and I knew one thing, we had to get out of here.

‘Let’s run!” Morgana yowled. He darted forward which startled Madarame, I grabbed Yusuke’s hand and we rushed out of the room, Ann following not far behind.

“It’s useless to run! They’ll be here within two minutes!” 

“Akira, we have to slip into the Metaverse.” Ann said as we ran. I nodded and pulled out my phone, looking at Yusuke. “Things might be confusing at first but I promise once we explain it everything will make sense.” Yusuke stared at me for a bit before nodding. I didn’t waste any time before pressing the button.

**“Entering the Museum of Vanity.”**

* * *

_ Goro’s POV _

The security room was unlocked as we walked in. I walked right up to the first one I saw that was on and pulled up the security for the courtyard. I hit the button to disengage the security.

**“Disabling courtyard security.”**

“And our work here is done! I wonder how Akira, Ann, Morgana, and Yusuke are doing.” Ryuji said. I shrugged as I straighted up. “They’re probably fine.” I said. We headed out to the courtyard and saw the lasers lower into the ground to show that we really had disabled it. We ran forward, ready to head out into the real world when we heard screaming. I looked up just in time to catch Akira in my arms before he could hit the ground. Mishima held out his arms and caught Mona before the cat could bonk Kitagawa on the head.

The artist had managed to land, somewhat, on his feet and catch Ann as well. I looked at Akira with a frown on my face. “Don’t give me that look! We didn’t have a choice! It was either take him with us or leave him to the mercy of Madarame. The man called some private security company so we had to get out of there fast." Akira said. I heaved a sigh as I looked at Kitagawa.  _ 'Well I guess we'll have to protect him now.' _

_ Yusuke's POV _

"Don't give me that look! We didn't have a choice! It was either take him with us or leave him to the mercy of Madarame. The man called some private security company so we had to get out of there fast." I recognized the voice speaking to belong to Akira, I heard a sigh from another person, probably not happy with the situation.

I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by Takamaki's bright blue eyes but I couldn't see the rest of her face due to the red cat mask covering it. “Hey, can you let go of me?” I realized that I was holding her still and flushed. “A-apologizes.” I said, lowering her to the ground.

I looked around and saw similarly masked people wearing strange outfits. I managed to deduce that the one wearing the white domino mask and overcoat was probably Akira since he was the only one with black hair.

“Are you okay Yusuke? We did have quite the fall.” Yep, that was Akira. I rubbed my arm as I started looking around, we appeared to be in some kind of twisted museum covered in gold. “Where are we?” I asked. 

“Believe it or not but we’re inside Madarame’s heart, this is how he sees that shack you live in.” Takamaki said.  _ ‘Inside his heart? This is how he truly feels?’ _ I looked around some more before turning to the group. “I obviously know Akira-kun and Takamaki-san but I don’t think I know the rest of you.” I said.

The blonde delinquent spoke up first. “Well you did only see us one time and we never really gave our names now did we? I’m Ryuji Sakamoto but here I’m called Skull. Saying our real names here might have an effect on the real world so we use code names.” Sakamoto explained.

The one wearing the blue bodysuit spoke next. “I’m Yuuki Mishima but I prefer to be called Mishima. My code name is Admin.” Mishima said.

The black nightmarish knight spoke next. “I’m Goro Akechi, my code name is Crow.” Akechi said.

I hadn’t even seen the cat like creature before it hopped onto Sakamoto’s shoulders. “I’m Morgana, my code name is Mona.” The name was the same as Akira’s cat and Morgana appeared to have the same markings as the cat.

“As in Akira’s cat?” I asked.

“I am NOT a cat!”

“Morgana looks like a cat but that isn’t what he is, honestly we’re not sure what he is. He lost his memories but he’s pretty sure he knows how to regain his true form.” Akira explained, still being held bridal style by Akechi.

“I guess that makes sense. And if everyone here uses code names then what are yours?” I asked. 

“Oh, right. Mine’s Joker.” Akira said. 

“And mine’s Panther.” Takamaki said. 

Akira then looked at Akechi who was still holding him. “Can you put me down? We should really get going now.” He said. Akechi stared at Akira for a bit before looking at me and starting to walk, still holding Akira. “Nope, you scared me there so to make sure you don’t fall again I’m just going to keep carrying you.” He said.

“I’m not a little kid! I can walk on my own!” Akira said. He continued to protest as the others began to follow them, I think I managed two steps before I was overwhelmed with a dizzying sensation. I quickly fell to my knees as my legs suddenly felt too weak to carry my weight anymore.

“Yusuke!” I quickly found myself staring into concerned brown eyes peering at me from behind a skull mask. 

“Guys we have to get out of here! Shadows are approaching our location and with Yusuke with us there no way we can take they without putting him at risk.” Mishima called. I tried to force myself to my feet but couldn’t. Sakamoto growled softly and I soon found myself on his back. Then we were running. 

“Try to form a Saturn formation around Skull, keep the shadows away from him and Yusuke!” Akira commanded, now on his feet and running. Sakamoto tossed a lead pipe he held to Mishima and they got into the formation.

Takamaki and Mishima made up the inner ring with Akechi, Morgana, and Akira on the outer ring keeping me and Sakamoto in the center. That’s when I caught sight of the shadows, horrible beasts that were ready to tear us all apart. 

**‘Do not be afraid, what power can they hold over you if you don’t fear them?’** I groaned as a headache throbbed just behind my left eye. It however quickly faded away. I blinked the tears that had formed away as I saw which way we were going. 

We passed an abstract sculpture and I saw the doorway, the lobby just beyond it. It was almost funny how when we were nearly free shadows appeared, blocking our only way out. It was just like how it was most of my life, whenever I thought I was close to freedom Madarame blocked it. 

Kosei was supposed to be my ticket to freedom, the scholarship a blessing in disguise for me, but then I learned that Madarame had put in a request for me to stay in the shack while I went to school. And no matter how much I begged as long as Madarame was my guardian they wouldn’t give me a dorm there. My ticket to freedom ended up being a temporary sanctuary to use to escape the pain when I could.

Staying late ‘studying’ in the library, painting in the studio there to get a change of pace, sometimes I could get the older students to pity me and they would allow me to stay the night in their room. But I would eventually have to return to the shack, return to the pain and Madarame’s constant mood swings.

I was broken from my thoughts when I heard a laugh, a familiar but distorted laugh. I turned and saw Madarame, dressed in a golden kimono with his hair going up and red lipstick on his lips. I felt Sakamoto’s arms tighten around my legs and I realized that I had started shaking. Just the sight of this man like this sent me spiraling towards a panic attack but I was somehow managing to hold it together.

**“Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame!”** The man called.

“Seriously? First a king and now some kind of shogen? How low can you get?” Sakamoto scoffed. The glare Madarame sent towards us was ice cold. I whimpered and tighten my hold around Sakamoto’s neck. Seeming intune with my fear he gripped me tighter and spoke to me in my ear.

“It’s okay Yusuke, that isn’t the real Madarame. That’s his shadow, he’s not the real one and the real one wouldn’t know anything about what happens here.” He whispered. 

“Guys we have to get out of here.” Mishima spoke in a hushed tone.

“I don’t see a clear exit.” Morgana said.

“Can we spearhead our way through?” Takamaki asked.

“We’d be putting Yusuke at risk, Skull’s our hardest hitter.” Akira muttered.

“Loki hits pretty hard, if he’ll listen for five minutes.” Akechi said.

Clearly at a lost for what to do I managed to stand somewhat and stare down Madarame. “Did you ever even care? Did you ever care about anything other then the money and fame?” I questioned. 

**“What’s with that look? Honestly the only reason I’ve kept you around is because you’re such a talented artist, plus you don’t complain like the others did. You at least had half a mind to listen when I tell you something. You should be grateful.”** Madarame huffed. The anger I kept contained for years now suddenly rose up. But of course he wasn’t done talking just yet.  **“Livestock are killed for their hide and meat all the time. This isn’t any different.” ** The rage burst forward like a flood. I had always hoped that if I tried hard enough then Madarame would become the man I knew when I was younger, but clearly now I see that that man didn’t even exist in the first place.

I was foolish to think that it was possible in the first place. I pushed Sakamoto away from me and stood tall. “You’re comparing taking the futures away from children to the butchering of animals for food?! Not only is that wrong it’s inhuman! And what about all those ‘Sayuri’s in the storage room?! You said the original was stolen but it was right there among them!’ I questioned.

**“How does this sound? ‘I’ve found the real painting but it can’t go public, you can have it for a special price though.’ Art snobs will eat that up, and pay good cash at that!”** _‘Is this truly how Madarame thinks? How he sees the ‘Sayuri’? A man this greedy can never be what I thought he was.’_

My fists clenched and my jaw tightened, the dam that held back my emotions so long was about to burst.  **‘Let it.’** I looked up at Madarame, and I let it. “If you truly cared about the ‘Sayuri’ then you’d never think of replicating it to satisfy your own greed! If you truly cared for your pupils then you’d never plagiarize their work or beat and abuse them! You are rotten to the very core! I… I’ll never forgive you!” I screamed at Madarame, tears of rage in my eyes. 

**“So you’ve truly come to your senses? How foolishly you blinded yourself to the truth. And now you finally refuse to advert your eyes any longer. It is time we finally forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I.” ** The pain was unbearable, like something was trying to claw its way out of my skull. I collapsed to the ground, gripping the carpet so hard my finger bled.

**“The world is both filled with beauty and vice. It is time you teach people which is which.”** I felt the mask form on my face and almost immediately I knew what to do. Standing up I stared at Madarame, reaching up for the mask. “Very well. Come, Goemon!” On the last words I ripped the mask away, almost immediately blue flames ingulfed me, burning away the top layer to leave what laid just under the surface.

My hand whipped outwards, almost like it had a mind of its own as I looked at the shadows surrounding us. “What a breathtaking sight.” I said. My hand moved along the line of shadows. “Imitations they may be but together they make a fine spectacle. Though the flowers of evil blossom be it known, abominations are fated to parrish!” On the last words I sweep my arm in a round motion, Goemon copies it and icy wind bellows out turning the nearest shadows to ice. 

“Woah, this is impressive!” I hear Morgana say.

Madarame’s arm that had risen when the wind kicked up drops as it dies down, glaring at me but for once I don’t feel afraid of him.  **“Who do you brats think you are? The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards, kill them all!”** On cue more shadows appear but I’m not as afraid of them as I once was. 

“Exactly how many futures did you crush? How many lives did you exchange for riches!? No matter what it takes I swear I’ll bring you to justice!” I snatched at the air and with a burst of blue flames a katana appeared in my hands, my body moved on it’s own as I took a classic samurai stance. 

“Let’s see what you’re made of.” Akira said, now standing next to me.

‘Very well bring it on!” I said, allowing a mad grin to spread over my features. 

The group stood beside me, Mishima stood in the back, mask gone and his persona veiling him. The shadows in front of us have transformed into several bird like creatures standing on one foot and a strange one that appeared to be made of metal parts that were just thrown together. 

**“You are in the presence of lord Madarame! On your knees intruders.”** The patchwork one said. 

“I might get on my knees of someone but that person isn’t Madarame so let’s stop talking and get to the part where my claws a tearing through your bodies.” Akechi said, brandishing said claws. 

“I couldn’t agree more Crow, this pipe of mine doesn’t have a dent in it yet after all.” Sakamoto said, tapping his pipe in his palm. 

With that they all fell into battle stances next to me. All itching to draw blood.

“I remember those bird ones are weak to ice so taking care of them should be a snap, not sure about that big one but it seems strong.” Mishima reported.

“Then let’s get to work so we can get out of here.” Akira said.

I rushed forward towards a bird shadow, my katana blade coated in thick frost, as I swung it forward ice leaped off the blade. The shadow screeched as it fell to its knees. Akechi immediately rushed in, his claws tearing through it like it wasn’t even there and it dissolved into ash.

“One down!”

“And an near dozen left to go.”

Takamaki’s whip cracked forward and I got an idea. As it passed me I reached out and touched the tip, frost quickly formed on the whip and as it wrapped around another shadow spikes of ice formed, piercing it. Takamaki pulled the whip and the shadow was swiftly finished off.

“Nice thinking Yusuke!” She called over to me making me smile.

Working together soon only the patchwork shadow remained. 

“And now we throw everything we have and see if it works.” Akira said.

And that’s exactly what we did. Eventually, just like the others, it dissolved into ash. I tried to catch my breath as I stared down Madarame’s shadow. Despite defeating it’s lackies the shadow still looked like it’s believed to have the higher ground. I managed three steps forward before my legs gave out.

**“Yusuke you’ve just thrown your bright future down the drain.”**

_ ‘You never planned on giving me one anyways!’  _ “Madarame!” I hissed.

**“You’ll rue the day you dared defy me!”** Madarame’s shadow turned and began walking away. I couldn’t allow him to do that.

“Get back here!” I yelled, trying to move forward but my legs refused to get me farther then a few feet. That’s when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t try to push yourself!” Takamaki said.

“Awakening takes a lot out of you, you couldn’t do much right now even if you wanted too. We all know that, after my awakening I was exhausted.” Akira siad, looping one of my arms over his shoulder. Goro took my other side.

“He’s right Yusuke, you need to rest for now.” He said.

With little difficulty they lifted me up and lead me to a couch in the lobby where I sat down.

“So you’ve known for a while huh?” Sakamoto asked softly.

I looked at the ground, unable to look them in the eye. “I’m no fool, strange men have been coming by for years. I suspected something was amiss but I was too afraid to investigate. Madarame took me in after my mother passed, he’s all I have left. When I was younger he treated me differently, I always clung to the hope that if I tried hard enough then that man would appear again. Now I see it was rather foolish of me to do so but I guess in a way I always knew. I tried to escape his grasp once but my attempt a freedom failed as you can probably guess.” I said.

“Are you talking about Kosei?” Akechi asked. I nodded.

“I got a scholarship, when I first got the news I thought it was a blessing and I would be able to move into the dorms. But Madarame prevented that, put in a request I stay in the shack. As long as he’s my legal guardian they wouldn’t allow me to stay in the dorms. Sometimes I can get other Kosei students to pity me and allow me to stay the night in their room but I always have to eventually leave.” I finished.

“It’s okay man, once we’re finished here you’ll be able to move in there.” Sakamoto said.

“How can you promise that?” I asked. 

“Do you remember the case with Kamoshida a few weeks ago?” Sakamoto asked.

_ ‘I remembered the news saying he confessed, does that mean…’ _

My thoughts are cut off as shadows appear once again. 

“Shit, the security level is going through the roof. Let’s get out of here, we’ll explain in more detail later.” Akira said.

I stood up and quickly realized the clothes I was wearing were not the ones I came in with. “When did my clothes change?” I asked, examining the blue gloves and black jacket.

“You just now noticed?!” 

“We’ll explain that later too. Let’s scram!”

With that i ran with them, shadows hot on our trail.

* * *

“And that’s the basics.” Akira finished. The raven had done an excellent job explaining how the Metaverse works, how Palaces funchen, personas, and why our outfits change. It was easy to see why he was the leader when he was so good with words.

“An entire world built on cognition, fascinating. So the plan with Madarame is to force a change of heart by stealing this Treasure.” I hummed. 

“Everything has its foundation, in a Palace that foundation is the Treasure. Removing it causes the Palace to crumble.” Ryuji said.

_ ‘So Madarame can become good, we just have to force it to happen. No way he’ll do it himself.’  _ **‘Have you made youŕe choice?’ ** _ ‘Yes, my heart has been set.’ _ “Let me join you, as a member of the Phantom Theives.” I said.

The five looked at each other before smiling. “Welcome aboard.” Akira said. I smiled, grateful for this chance.

At this moment Morgana pokes his head out of Akira’s bag. “We still have to be careful, we don’t want Madarame to suffer a mental shutdown.” He said.

“True, we still are gathering data, this is only our second Palace.” Mishima said. 

“By the way Yusuke, did you talk with Madarame?” Goro asked, tilting his head.

“Yes, he thinks I continued to pursue Akira and Ann. He was still complaining to the security company how they couldn’t catch a couple of high schoolers. But he’s also looking into taking legal action.” I said.

Everyone tensed up at that. “L-legal action?! Ag-against a bunch of high school kids?!” _‘And we see the return of Akira’s stutter, how can someone so good with weaving words together have a stutter when nervous?’_ **‘Give him a break.’**

“I guess we have to act fast if we want to dodge that.” Goro said with a sigh.

“I doubt he’ll act until after the exhibit ends, a scandal during the show is his loss.” I said, hoping to easy the mood.

“We should be able to finish it within that time. We’re halfway through after all.” Ryuji said, leaning back in the booth next to me. 

“Alright, tomorrow let’s all meet at Leblanc. Goro since you live in Shibuya you can ride the train with Yusuke. We’ll talk more there.” Akira said. 

The rest of the group nodded and I allowed a smile to appear on my face. “I’ll be there for sure.” I said.

“I’ll meet you at the train station so I can show you which ones to take.” Goro said and I nodded. I was finally a part of a group and it looks like my freedom would soon be guaranteed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked leave a kudos and comment your thoughts, I love hearing what you have to say.


	15. Fox on the team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of Yusuke's time with the Phantom thieves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad I managed to get this out in a timely manner. Enjoy.

_ Yusuke’s POV _

After school I went straight for the train station, just as he said Goro was there waiting for me. “I have arrived, where do we go now?” I asked.

Goro just smiled and leaded me to a train so I followed him on. "We're heading for Yogen-Jaya, that's where Leblanc is. Akira's temporary guardian Sojiro Sakura runs Leblanc which is this lovely little café. Akira lives in the attic which is where we're holding our meeting." Goro explained to me.

"Temporary guardian?" I asked. Goro looked at the TV screens before answering. "Yeah, he's on probation right now. He was forced to move here, honestly probably the best thing that's ever happened to him." Before I could ask him to elaborate our stop was announced and we left the train. 

"What do you mean by that it's probably the best thing that's happened to him?" I asked. Goro sighed but looked at me. "His parents are like Madarame, Sojiro isn't like them." He said. I understood that right away, they were abusive. The scar on his hand made a lot of sense now.

Yogen-Jaya was basically the back streets but Goro walked them with practiced ease, walking straight for Leblanc. The sleepy little café felt homey as we walked inside. Standing behind the counter was a man who, if Goro hadn’t informed me before hand about Akira’s situation, could be Akira’s father with how similar they look. This must be Sojiro.

“Hello Sakura-san! Hope you don’t mind us using the attic to study again.” Goro said with a bright smile on his face. Sakura-san looked up for whatever he was doing behind the counter and huffed lightly. “Just don’t make too much noise, I still have a business to run.” He said.

“Understood, we’ll be quiet.” I said. Goro smiled and nodded. “No problem. Come on Yusuke.” He said, gesturing for me to follow as he walked towards the stairs. I followed him up the stairs and to the attic above which had been transformed into a bedroom, somewhat at least. 

The couch was covered in rips, the desk was in decent shape but still dirty, and I’m pretty sure Akira’s bed is just a mattress laid on top of some crates. “This is your room?” I asked looking around. Akira looked around before looking at me and shrugging. “It’s better than my old room, I at least have a bed.” He said.

“Dude you have no idea how sad that sentence makes me.” Ryuji said, sitting in a chair with his arms crossed over the back.

“Changing the subject away from Akira’s shitty parents. How are you doing Yusuke?” Ann asked. I shrugged. “Fine, Madarame’s mood swings have stabilized somewhat right now.” I said.

“Speaking of him, Akira and I got you something to use in the Palace.” Ryuji said, pulling out a plastic bag and handing it to me. I reached inside and pulled out an assault rifle, the price tag removed.

“In the Metaverse if it looks real it acts real. That beauty right there is only a model but in the Palace it becomes real, pretty cool yeah?” Ryuji said. 

“It’s incredible! It’s so realistic!” I said. I practiced holding it as Ryuji grinned. “One of Iwai’s best, since I’m such a loyal customer he let’s me see all the goodies he has stored in the back where the cops wouldn’t find it.” He said proudly.

“He’s still a little shady.” Akira said from the bed. Ryuji huffed lightly and shoved Akira’s leg. “Lay off him man, he’s quite nice once you get past the rough exterior. Besides, don't you hang out with that shady doctor?” He said. 

“Hey, Takemi might be a little shady but she at least provides us with medicine. Plus she’s a nice person to hang out with.” Akira said in defense of Takemi. When Ryuji had nothing else to say about the good doctor Akira turned to address everyone.

“I know we all want to deal with Madarame as fast as possible-”

“Understatement of the century.”

“-but we should really train in Mementos first. So that nothing catches us by surprise and Yusuke can get used to fighting.” Akira said.

“We didn’t do any of that with Kamoshida.” Ann said.

“Pardon?” I asked. Goro patted me on the shoulder. “I’ll fill you in on the details later.” He promised.

“That’s mostly because neither of you knew about Mementos then and we were on a time crunch. If Kamoshida was going to expel us he would have done it at the faculty meeting on May 2nd. We had to make sure he wouldn’t do that even if he was only threatening me. Plus Mishima awakened in Mementos and is a non-fighter so he doesn’t count.” Akira explained.

“So we’re going into Mementos?” I asked. Mishima nodded, looking at something on his computer screen. “Yeah, plus we have some minor targets to take care of. Should be good practice.” He said.

So with that we all left the attic, Goro told Sakura-san that we were heading out to eat before we left Leblanc all together.

* * *

“So this is Mementos? Certainly looks like the collective public’s Palace.” I muttered softly. Morgana transformed into a car and everyone climbed in, Akira taking the driver’s seat with Goro and Ryuji sitting in the front with him. I took the back with Ann and Mishima.

“This place feels pretty weird when you first enter it but you get used to it pretty fast.” Ann said, smoothing out one of her pigtails.

“That’s true, Akira and I have been coming here for nearly two years and we barely notice it anymore.” Goro said. I would have asked what they meant if I didn’t already know, it constantly felt like there were eyes on me and there was the sensation of something like spiders crawling up my spine.

This place was creepy and probably filled with evil but I guess it can’t be avoided. _ ‘I’ll just ignore it and hope I get use to it like they say.’ _ I thought to myself.

* * *

“Annnd that’s the last of them! Great work everyone, we’ve cleared out all our requests!” Ann chirped. I glared softly at her, still panting.

“The… reason… you’re still… so chipper… is because… all you had… to do… was heal…” I panted. Goro patted my back as Akira passed me a thermos full of coffee. I drank from it, feeling a little better.

“Sorry about working you so hard, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna fall behind.” Akira said.

“It’s alright, I can understand that. I just want to rest for a little while now.” I said. Climbing back in the Monabus Akira began to drive back to the surface. “Well if we run into anymore fights Ann’s taking your place.” He said.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Everyone laughed as Ann pouted at Akira.

“I’m pretty sure it is Ann, gotta pull your weight around here.” Ryuji said.

It was rather amusing to watch Ann try to get him to take that back as he was in the front and she was with me in the back. Eventually she knocked Ryuji around a bit and it caused him to bump into Akira. “Stop! I’m trying to drive here!” Akira said, even though he was trying to be stern he was laughing happily.

I couldn’t help a few amused chuckles myself. If this was what it was like to be a part of this group then I’d do anything to stay right here.

* * *

“Ack! We still don’t have your codename!” Ann said. We were standing just outside the Palace, about to go in when Ann remembered that bit of information.

Akira frowned and crossed his arms. “I can’t believe we forgot about that. Do you have any idea what you want it to be Yusuke?” He asked.

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t mind whatever you choose.” I said.

Ryuji hummed and crossed his arms. “With how you’re dressed I’d say ‘Kitsun’ but we’ve all had English names so far. How about we simplify it to ‘Fox’? Is that okay?” He asked. I let the name roll around my head, eventually I smiled. “Fox… I like it, I like it a lot.” I said. Ryuji shot me a soft smile and he nodded. “Alright, let’s get moving then.” He said.

* * *

”God this guy is your classic villain. How are you holdin’ up Fox?” I looked at Ryuji as he stood next to me, concern shining in his dark brown eyes.

**‘They’re quite lovely, honestly they fit his bleach blonde hair.’** _‘Goemon not now.’_ I nodded at Ryuji, hoping he knew nothing of what was going on in my head. “I’m fine Skull, I’m just a tad annoyed by these paintings.” I said.

“Me too, seriously Kamoshida’s Palace wasn’t this bad.” Ryuji huffed. 

“You keep mentioning Kamoshida, I heard some things on the news about him but not much. Crow told me he used to teach a Shujin which is your school and was your first Palace but I have a feeling that I’m missing quite a few pieces of the puzzle.” I said, climbing up a hill to join Ryuji who had hopped up while I was talking.

“Yeah, he was. But what I’m betting Crow didn’t tell you was that for a time he coached the track team.” Ryuji said. I tilted my head as I remembered something that was mentioned in passing. “Aren’t you a former track star?” I asked. Ryuji nodded.

“Yeah, I’m not really smart and have trouble paying attention in class. Running was the only thing I was ever good at so I figured I could get a track and field scholarship. Kamoshida however didn’t like that, he didn’t want anyone outshining his volleyball team. So he got our coach fired and ‘kindly’ offered to coach us until they found a new one. Practices were brutal, he wouldn’t give us water and made us run for far too long. I’ve always been known for being a little hot headed so I eventually confronted him.” Ryuji looked down at his leg and sighed.

“He was prepared for that, he baited me. Said some things about my old man and I snapped, slapped him. He pushed me, and I fell down the stairs which was bad enough. Then he came down and snapped my leg, when the ambulance arrived he was able to convince them that it was broken from the fall. Claimed self defense and they believed him.” I felt so bad for Ryuji. He was probably hated at school for something that wasn’t even his fault.

“I’m so sorry, that must have been horrible for you.” I said. Ryuji shrugged as he looked over at the others, Akira was poking around the painted environment for the next exit. “He did much worse to Panther. Honestly if I hadn’t met Joker on that rainy morning we probably wouldn’t be here right now.” The blonde said with a soft smile on his face. It was so unlike the usually toothy grin he gave off. 

“Can you tell me more about how you met Joker?” I asked. Ryuji nodded and we began to walk again.

“I had taken some time off school to recover my leg some more so it was my first day back, and that was also Joker’s first day at Shujin. I had seen Panther get in Kamoshida’s car and I made a comment at that. I didn’t even realize he was there until he parroted back what I said. At first I thought he would report me to Kamoshida but then he told me he was new and I realized that I didn’t recognize him so it must have been true. We talked a little bit more and when we arrived at school there was a castle in its place.” Ryuji’s smile turned slightly sad then.

“That was my first time in the Metaverse, I had no clue what was going on so I went inside to try and figure that out despite Joker’s protests. We got captured, we managed to break out and find Mona but I didn’t have a persona and at the time neither did Joker so shadows overwhelmed him. Despite knowing about the Metaverse for nearly two years Joker only awakened that day. We’re both lucky that he did. But before all that, standing there in the rain with the most innocent look in his eyes… Joker was kinda like a child. But that’s just what makes him him, you know?” He asked, looking at me.

“Wholeheartedly. That must have been a shock to you, being thrust into a strange world without the previous knowledge Joker and Crow had." I muttered. Ryuji shrugged as he looked ahead, reaching up to ruffle my hair. "I had some time to think about it before I awakened Captain Kidd. Come on, let's catch up with the others." He said. I nodded and we ran over to the others who were waiting outside the painting for us.

* * *

“This is way too many ‘Sayuri’s.” Ann said as we all looked at the paintings. 

“There has to be the real one in here somewhere, if we find it maybe we’ll find a way forward.” Ryuji said.

“Here it is!! It’s the only one here that has a red shirt!” Akira said, pointing at the real painting. Sure enough the path ahead opened up and we could move forward.

Once through there we were greeted with another set of paintings. Goro sighed but straightened up. “Okay, let’s find the real one and get-”

“Found it.” Ryuji chimed before Goro could finish. Sure enough the painting Ryuji was pointing at was the real one. 

“Nice job pointing it out so quickly Skull.” Akira said, smiling at the blonde. Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, a blush barely visible under his mask. “It was easy to spot, the others were all wrong after all.” He said.

**‘And he claims to be dumb?’** Goemon hummed softly. 

As we moved forward Ryuji would immediately pointed out the real one showing that he actually remembered vividly what the real one looked like. Once we were out we swiftly moved forward, now to find the Treasure.

* * *

“When you said that security would be tight this wasn’t what I thought you meant.” I admitted. Lasers surrounded the cloud that was the Treasure, Madarame’s shadow stood in front of it and the room was full of guard shadows.

“How are we going to steal it? No way we can just waltz in and take it.” Mishima said. Goro sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, no way we’d get out if we just run up and try to grab it, we need a solid plan.” He said.

Ryuji perked up and pointed in a direction, a room laid just beyond his finger. "That might be a security room, should give us an idea of what we can do." He said. With that we headed over to the room, sure enough it was for security. Akira leaned over the only computer in the room and began to tap away. “Let’s see what we can do here.” He said.

The first thing Akira did was lift some doors before he touched on the laser controls. **“Invaild identification. Higher clearance level needed.” **It mocked. Akira glared at the offending software. “Never in my life have I wished to know how to hack more then now.” He said. 

“Try to do something about the lights.” Ann suggested. Akira nodded and got to work, swiftly the lights in the main room shut off.

**“What’s going on!”** Shadow Madarame growled.

**“Hang on a second, the power should come on in a few seconds.”** A guard said.

“Damn, we can only shut it off for a few seconds.” Goro hissed as the lights flickered back to life. Then we learned that a guard was coming to the security room. 

“Let’s go before they find us in here. I really would rather avoid wasting our energy on a fight.” Ryuji said. So we creeped away from the security room just as a guard came up and began to explore the areas Akira opened up.

Pretty soon we were in a rather empty room after stopping at a safe room, a lever was on one side of the room and ladders lead up. Akira quickly climbed one and disappeared through the doorway with the swiftness of a shadow. Following him we found ourselves above the Treasure. 

"No lasers above it. We can lower ourselves down and take it from here." Ryuji suggested. Akira nodded as he looked up, pointing out a hook right above it. "We can probably use that, the lever in the previous room possibly controls it." He said.

"And we can escape through those windows over there." Goro pointed out. Ann nodded in agreement as she looked at the hook. "So who are we strapping to the hook?" She asked.

"Oh I'll do it!" Morgana said, raising his paw. Akira looked surprised at how quickly Morgan volunteered. "Alright. Now that we're at the end we can leave and tomorrow we'll talk about the calling card." He said.

I left the Metaverse that day feeling relieved and ready for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, hearing what you have to say encourages me to write.


	16. The fall of Vanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stealing Madarame's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm getting better at describing battles, hope you enjoy the fight scene that took me maybe a week to write.

_ Yusuke’s POV _

I woke from a deep slumber to the sound of my phone pinging with notifications so after taking a moment to wake I scooped it up to look at it.

_ ~group chat: _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Joker:** after school everyone meet at Leblanc to discuss the calling card

**Skull:** sure thing

**Panther:** I’ll be there

**Admin:** Roger that!

**Crow:** the leader has spoken, I will be there.

**Fox:** affirmative, I’ll be there.

**Joker:** remember that we only have one shot at this, it’s now or never.

My phone dropped onto the rickety nightstand next to the bed and I stood up. I had never really stopped to think about my situation before but now that I am it’s obvious how little Madarame cares.

Mattress old and full of holes, bed frame tilting to one side, blankets thin and barely holding together enough to provide warmth at night. With a sigh I stand up and walk to the closet and pull out my school uniform, today would be a long day until I could go to Leblanc.

**‘Patience is a virtue child.’ ** _ ‘It’s a virtue when you’re not getting out of a bad situation.’ _ I thought to Goemon as I buttoned up my shirt. I took a moment to look at the blue blazer and the tie that goes with it, I had never worn them and haven’t gotten into trouble for it so I could leave them. 

With that in mind I grab my bag and rush out the door, not bothering with breakfast. Lunch is only a few hours away after all.

* * *

**‘Finally the tourchure ends.’** Goemon sighs as the final bell rings. _‘Oh hush, what were you even doing while I was busy?’_ I questioned. Goemon huffed as he hopped off the desk behind me as I gathered my things. **‘I couldn’t find anything to do but wait, at least it gave me time to think since you refused to speak with me during class.’** _‘I had work to do, you can’t blame me.’_ I told him, now walking out the door.

**‘I realize that which is why I didn’t bother you. At least now we’re going to Leblanc, Ryuji will be there~’ **_‘If you start going on about him then you’re getting the silent treatment for the rest of the day.’_ **‘No need to be so hasty, I’ll be quiet now.’** I sighed as I got on the train, thankful for the moment of silence while we headed for Leblanc.

Once there I greeted Sakura-san with a wave before trotting up to the attic where Akira and Ryuji were. The bottle blonde held out a pair of latex gloves to me which I put on as the others arrived, Goro totting a laptop and printer and Ann with a paper cutter. Mishima came up the stairs right after them holding a bag. “I got some cardstock to use this time so let’s load up the printer and get to work.” He said.

Ryuji handed Akira a flash drive that he plugged into the laptop and opened the file one it, it was the calling card, blank and waiting for the message. 

“Okay, let’s get to work. Yusuke, do you want to edit the logo?” Akira asked, looking at me. I saw the quite simple logo that I knew I could spice up.

Taking the drawing tablet from Akira I got to work, making sure the back matched the front with red and black circles, making the red of the logo lighter then the background to help it stand out. Pretty soon I had a logo that I was happy with. When I showed it off to the rest of the thieves there were pleased sounds all around.

“That looks so cool Yusuke!” Ann praised.

“Yeah! It’s much better than what I threw together.” Ryuji said, looking rather happy instead of upset by it. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s satisfactory.” I said.

“There is no room in this attic for self deprecation, Akira and myself have us covered on that front.” Goro said.

Morgana leaped onto the table and looked at the card. “Now, what should our message on it be?” He asked.

* * *

With the message written we began to work on making the calling cards to post. Akira stayed at the laptop, making sure the right amount of pages were supposed to print while the rest of us worked on cutting the cards out of the card stock. By the time we finished cutting and packing the cards away in the bag it was getting late.

“Let’s put them up tomorrow, at the exhibit. He’ll see them for sure if we put them there.” Akira said. I couldn’t help but agree with that, Madarame always made sure to check in on his ongoing exhibits so he would for sure be there the day after tomorrow because let’s face it we would have to sneak in that night to put up the cards in order to not be seen.

Everyone else nodded as well so I knew we had a solid plan now.

* * *

“I’ve never been in the underground mall at night, it’s so quiet compared to the day.” Goro said as we walked down the abandoned walkway towards the exhibit. 

“It’s like a ghost town now, I’m so used to it being so busy.” Ann said, her bushy pig tails tucked away in the black hoodie she wore like everyone else.

The clothing was gender neutral and baggy enough that it was hard to tell genders like this, we all wore different face masks to hide our faces along with pulling on hoods up to hide our hair. 

There was no doubt in my mind if anyone saw our hair colors and style it wouldn’t be hard to connect the dots. Since I appeared to be the tallest of the group I made a point to slouch slightly to lower my height and the others picked up on this. Ann had come wearing a pair of platform boots and Mishima was also wearing elevated shoes. 

The exhibit wasn’t locked that tightly and all I had to do was use the key I took off Madarame’s key ring and we easily got inside. Akira walked in first, keeping his back straight to make himself appear more confident and in charge. This of course was on purpose, nothing we were doing was by accident. Morgana pulled himself out of Akira’s bag and settled himself on the leader’s shoulders. Beforehand I had taken the time to paint Morgana completely white with fur friendly paint but I had wisely left his ears unpainted.

We got to work posting the calling cards, insuring that they were visible but i refused to put any on the paintings and the others agreed that would be crossing a line. As soon as they were all posted we stood back to look at our handy work, it truly was a sight to gaze upon all those calling cards stating loudly that we knew about what he’s done.

“Alright, let’s all go home. Tomorrow is a big day after all. We need plenty of rest.” Akira said. We all nodded so we left and I locked up the exhibit. The trains weren’t running so the rest had to walk home but luckily for me I could walk there easily.

I slipped into the shack silently and creeped around, slipping the key back onto Madarame’s key ring before creeping back to my room, slipping into my night clothes, before going to bed.

* * *

“Madarame sir, you should see this.” An exhibit staff member said. Madarame raised an eyebrow but followed the staff member. When Madarame saw the calling cards I could almost see the confusion in his eyes. 

“What do they say?” He asked the staff member. The man stumbled over the words at first. 

“**Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted, you are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal ideas from and abuse your pupils, we have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts**.”

“Who's responsible for this!?” Madarame asked with a growl. 

“W-we don’t know! They’ve been posted all over the exhibit.” The staff member said.

“What about the security cameras!?” Madarame asked. _ ‘They wouldn’t be much use.’ _ I thought, letting a smirk slip onto my face.

“The people who did it were never clearly shown, the only thing that’s clear is a cat.” The staff member said. 

“Removed all of these at once!” Madarame demanded. 

“Y-yes, of course.” The man immediately ran off to do just that, probably too afraid of Madarame’s fiery temper to ask if what the cards said was true.

For a split second I thought I saw Madarame’s shadow, scoffing at the idea of us taking the Treasure. I glanced at Madarame and noticed he wasn’t paying me much mind so I slipped away and padded over to the others, hiding nearby in the exhibit.

“That well do, yes?” I asked once I joined them.

“Yep, the Treasure should have appeared now.” Morgana said, peaking out of Akira’s bag.

“Let’s go, it’s now or never.” Akira said, pulling out his phone and pulling up the Nav, ready to go once we were out of sight of cameras and people.

* * *

“My… this is truly the sight…” I muttered, staring at the Palace. Spotlights moving about, highlighting the gold in the bricks and dangerous looking shadows patrolling.

We bypassed all of them with our infiltration route and soon were where we needed to be. 

“Here, use this to strap Mona to the hook.” Ryuji said, holding out some coiled rope. I reached out and took it, our fingertips brushing together. Just from that simple brush it felt like there was lightning zipping down my arm with the connection. I put the rope over my arm and hoped my mask was hiding any blush that might be on my cheeks. “Thank you. Good fourchane to you.” I said.

With that Mona and I raced off to get to the hook, following Akira as he went for the switch. I climbed the ladder with Morgana close behind me. I lifted him up and wrapped the rope around him and the hook, tying a secure knot to ensure my teammate wouldn’t slip out and fall. Once done I pulled back to look at him, the cat was grinning widely. “Will that do?” I asked. 

“Yup! This is going to be great!” Morgana said, excitement filling his words. Giving the knot another tug to ensure it would hold I looked down towards the security room, I could clearly see Ann inside, a splash of red against the overwhelming gold.

I gave her the signal and only a few moments later the lights shut off. “Joker, now!” I shouted into the main room. I watched the hook lower with Morgana on it and grabbed the covered Treasure. “Okay, lift it up!” I called. When Morgana began to raise I ran back into the room and saw Ann join Akira, Goro, and Mishima.

I stayed at my post and watched as Ann rejoined us. “There was a guard in the room so Ryuji led it away. He should be here soon.” She said. I watched the doorway for him and felt relief when sure enough Ryuji entered, slightly out of breath and limping a little heavier than normal but looking just fine.

“Sorry it took me a bit, it took me longer than I thought it would to shake that guard.” He said. Now sure that everyone was okay I returned to Morgana, taking the Treasure from him and setting it on the ground before I began to untie him.

The others joined me just as I undid the knot and lowered him to the ground. Goro scooped up the Treasure and used the cloth surrounding it to make a sort of strap to make holding it and moving around easier. After that we all ran for the windows on the other side of the room. We climbed through and found ourselves outside.

“Let’s move! We don’t want to get caught!” Akira shouted. He led the way as we made our way down the building and ended up in the courtyard. At this point Morgana leaped up and started pawing at the Treasure slung over Goro’s shoulder. “I can’t take it anymore! Let’s see it!” He cried. Goro huffed but laid it down and undid the knots that created the sling he had used. We all crouched down to get a better look at it. But something was wrong, the Treasure didn’t look all that important. On a hunch I looked around, I spotted the trap just in time.

“Get back!” I yelled. Everyone leaped away from the fake Treasure and barely escaped the electricity that came from the rods I had spotted.

**“Meddlesome thieves…”** I whipped my head around and sure enough shadow Madarame stood nearby, two guards with him, one holding something in a gold frame under its arm. Shadow Madarame gestured to it with his head. **“Is this what you’re looking for?”** He asked.

“So you had a fake prepped huh? Makes sense to do that instead of risking the real Treasure.” Ryuji huffed. Shadow Madarame glared at him as he huffed. **“Fakes are accepted in the art world. But then again you brats are probably too stupid to understand.”** He hissed. 

Ryuji visibly deflated at those words and Akira looked away from Madarame, curling in on himself slightly. Clearly being called stupid was a sore spot for both of them even though it was untrue. Sure Ryuji wasn’t very book smart but he had plenty of street smarts and observation skills to make up for it, his people skills were also rather good too. So yes, Ryuji didn’t do that well in school, but he wasn’t dumb.

I was worried he wouldn’t say anything when Ryuji seemed to shake it off and glare openly at Shadow Madarame, another good quality of his, he was quick to recover. “We wouldn’t be here if you weren’t a greedy bastard who cares nothing for others!” He snapped.

“Yeah! You tell him Skull!” Morgana cheered. 

Shadow Madarame sighed before looking at us. **“I guess I can give you a peek before you die. A glimpse of the genuine ‘Sayuri’.”** I was confused by it’s words. “‘Genuine’?” The guard shadow holding the painting under its arm came forward and then lifted it up to be seen. It was ‘Sayuri’, except now where the blue fog had been it clearly showed the woman holding a baby in her arms.

I had always gotten a vague impression in the back of my mind when I saw ‘Sayuri’, like there was something there just out of reach that would slip through my fingers when I tried to grasp it. Now they came rushing at me full force, the smells of paints and home cooking, the feeling of warmth and love, and Sayuri looking at me but as someone I knew. I grasped my wrist, the one still wrapped in the bandages Akira had used to help ease the pain, and ducked my head, hoping the others wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

“This can’t be… mom!” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I heard Ryuji let out a surprised ‘what!’ before Shadow Madarame began to speak again. **“That’s right, this was painted by your mother. It’s a portrait of herself, a woman who knew she was dying painted her last wishes for the son she would leave behind. Even after her husband died that woman never lost her passion for painting.”**

I felt a hand on my shoulder which caused me to look up, Ryuji’s brown eyes were filled with concern but also anger, he turned his attention back to Madarame but kept his hand on my shoulder. “You stole something that personal?! No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!” He shouted. I managed to gather my breath before looking back at Madarame to ask the question I still had. “Why did you paint over the baby in the picture?” Madarame’s smile seemed to widen. **“To stage it of course! If the babe is erased then the reason for the woman’s expression will become a mystery. All those pairsitie critics wrote the same thing!”**

“If you truly treasured that painting you wouldn’t even think about replicating it for profit. You don’t love art at all!” Ann snapped. 

“Even though you have a real treasure your true skills are just those scribbles on that fake!” Mishima growled. I had actually forgotten he was there since he hadn’t spoken that much.

**“So you’re going to defy me no matter what? Very well then, since you’re my work of art Yusuke I’m going to reap you for the sake of my future. Along with those insolent friends of yours there.”** Shadow Madarame said.

“You’re treating both mother and son like their objects, you’re inhuman!” Goro growled. Every now and then the corner of his mask would become flames like he was going to try to summon one of his personas but then return to normal. My guess about why this was happening was that Loki was getting restless and wanted to just _ fight already _ but Goro was holding him back.

“...Fox?” Morgana asked quietly, seemingly having noticed my silence. I still had one more question I had to ask. So I looked Madarame in the eye as I asked. “I heard that you dispose of your art once they aren’t of use to you anymore…. Did that include my mother as well?” Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked back at Shadow Madarame, his grin seemingly to have widened again.

**“She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me, that’s when a thought came to mind. If I don’t call for help and leave her be I can obtain her painting with no strings attached.”** He sneered.

“No… you let her die…?” Akira asked, voice so soft I almost couldn’t hear him. But Madarame did.

**“She was physically weak, no one would doubt it if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. But then of course there was Yusuke, I couldn’t have him learning the truth about ‘Sayuri’ so I took him in… his skills for art were a delightful miscalculation though~”** The man purred, like he was talking about a novel he read or a movie he watched.

My teeth ground together and some of my tears finally began to fall. _ ‘This man is rotten to the very core.’ _ “You killed her…” I growled. Goemon growled softly as well, restless, and just dying to give Madarame a taste of his ice but waiting patiently for me to give the word.

Loki wasn’t being patient however and I could sense Goro’s struggle to control the god of chaos who probably just wants to kill him and be done with it. I honestly didn’t care anymore, if Madarame dies so be it, he deserves it anyways.

**“If I’m going to steal ideas, it’s much easier robbing the future of brats who won’t talk back than adults. It’s all thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude.”** Shadow Madarame said. I couldn’t help the laughs that escaped me. 

“Yusuke?” Ann asked, clearly concerned.

I looked up at Madarame, my tears gone. “I thank you… Madarame. Every reason for me to forgive you or hold back has disappeared without a trace! You aren’t some rotten artist… you’re a despicable murderer who wears the skin of an artist!” I yelled.

The shadow had the gall to think it still had the upper hand enough to stomp its leg. **“All you good-for-nothings…. Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want…”** I was snapped out of my rage slightly as a pool formed under Madarame and the ground began to rumble slightly.

“Oh shit!” Goro hissed.

“Guys, I think he’s about to transform!” Mishima said from the back lines.

**“Those who have the connections make the rules: those who don’t, follow them. Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!”** Shadow Madarame growled.

“This isn’t good, get back!” Morgana commanded.

The shadow laughed as it began to transform, the rest of its body disappearing as its eyes, nose, and mouth grew bigger and formed paintings that floated in the air. **“I’ll paint all over you! Now, let’s begin you vermin.”**

We all fell into battle positions, I allowed my lips to curl back into a snarl as I growled. “You use others for your own selfish desires, Madarame. You aren’t even worth the art you ‘create’!” It felt good to let those words out.

Goro’s mask burst into flames and Loki leaped down and slashed at Madarame but to our surprise the mouth was unaffected by the physical attack. Loki howled in rage but he didn’t continue attacking and returned to Goro’s mask. 

“The mouth must absorb physical attack, try using magic!” Akira commanded. _‘Gladly, you ready Goemon?’_ **‘More than ready, let’s freeze him in place.’** Goemon said. I touched my mask and Goemon immediately appeared, I didn’t even have to tell him before he lashed out a hand, ice forming on the mouth that then burst. It was definitely effective.

I leaped out of the way as Arsene launched forward and dug his claws into one of the eyes, Madarame growled and the eye shook itself enough to dislodge Arsene from it. The gentleman thief growled and returned to Akira’s side where he stayed instead of going back into his mask. I was confused but what concerned me more was when Arsene’s image seemed to shimmer, the red on him becoming black and his claws elongating. It only lasted for a few seconds before Arsene’s image returned to normal.

I shook off the image and looked at Madarame. I could worry about that later when we weren’t facing down with my tormentor. I leaped out of the way as black paint sailed right for me, I had just barely dodged the glob. Ann yelped as another hit her head on. “What the hell is this!?” She cried.

“Panther be careful! As long as you’re covered in paint you’re weak to everything!” Mishima called from the back. 

“What?! This is bullshit!” Ryuji cried, dodging paint as he tried to get a clear hit on Madarame’s nose. I couldn’t agree more with that statement. 

“Do all bosses have weird gimices!? God damn it, why couldn’t I have just shot him in the head when I got the chance….” Goro growled, too busy dodging paint to attack.

“If only we can figure out his weaknesses, then…” Akira muttered to himself. Arsene still has yet to return to his mask and continued to hover around us, sometimes deflecting globs of paint away from us.

“Joker, why is Arsene still out??? Shouldn’t you try summoning a different persona now???” Morgana asked. Akira hissed as Arsene sent a ball of curse energy at Madarame’s mouth, hitting it dead on. “He wouldn’t go back! He’s being really stubborn right now and refuses to go back in the mask. I’ve been trying to coax him but so far he hasn’t budged.” He said.

“Now you know how I feel when Loki wouldn’t listen.” Goro said. Seemingly have found his footing in the battle he summoned Robin Hood, who unleashed a hail of bless arrows directed at the mouth. This finally caused it to fall and now we were left with the eyes and nose.

Before Madarame could react Captain Kidd rocked forward, slamming his head into one of the eyes that caused it to fall as well. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked over at Ryuji. “That was incredible Skull! Now we only have two left!” I called. Ryuji smiled at the praise.

Morgana meanwhile spun around and did a pose, summoning Zoro to him. “Zoro, Lucky Punch!” With the flick of his sword a boxing glove appeared and strang forward, punching Madarame’s nose that quickly went down.

“Arsene, Brave blade!” Akira commanded. Arsene reacted immediately and took down the other eye. Madarame made a groaning sound as a pool of black paint surrounded the paintings that sank into it, after a bit Madarame came out, looking like he did before he transformed.

“Madarame’s out!” Morgana cried. We all rushed in, pulling out our guns that we pointed at him. It felt odd to point a model gun at someone and think it can actually shoot bullets but Ryuji said that it would work so I will trust him until I find out by pulling the trigger.

**“Dammit… I’m the great Madarame… The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit! I’m not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy…!”** The shadow growled. My lips curled back as I growled at him, trying to not just start shooting at him using my assault rifle. “You still have the nerve to say such things!? You will fully taste the wrath of those you preyed upon!” I snapped.

Akira signaled for an all out attack and we commenced the assault on the shadow. Once done we saw that the shadow was still normal.

“This is our chance, attack the main body!” Morgana yelled. I didn’t hesitate to pull out my assault rifle and pulled the trigger, just as Ryuji said it began firing like a real gun. It felt so incredible to shoot him like this. Everyone else got a hit in before Madarame raised his hand and sent balls of energy at us, it knocked me off balance and when I regained it he had transformed again. 

**“Infernal brats! It seems that you need a good whipping to make you understand!”** Madarame growled. There was a break in his attacks though so Akira pulled us all together in a huddle. 

“Alright, we now know that the mouth absorbs physical attacks, the eyes absorb magic, and we can hit the nose with both. Now that we know this I can figure out a plan. Fox, Skull, you two are our strongest physical attackers so focus on the nose and eyes. Panther, Crow, and myself will focus on the mouth, we’ll try to hit the nose as well when we can. Admin, you and Mona focus on healing along with buffs and debuffs. It seems after we defeat this form then we can attack the main body where those immunites don’t carry over so we should focus on beating this form fast and focus our main damage on the main body so save your bullets. Thanks to Admin we know that the paint globs will make us weak to everything so avoid those as best as you can but if you do get hit don’t be afraid to sacrifice hitting Madarame over your safety if you think the next attack will nuke you.” Akira said.

I was impressed that Akira could come up with a solid game plan in the little time he had but I didn’t doubt that he was right in what we should be doing. So we split apart and went on the attack. I felt myself grow faster thanks to Mishima as I leaped into the air, katana out and slashed the right eye. I landed gracefully on the ground and barely avoided a fire attack directed at me after. I looked over at Ryuji and saw him land a solid hit to the nose but when he landed Ryuji yelped and fell over, clutching his leg.

_ ‘Shit! He probably put too much pressure on his bad leg!’ _ I thought, racing over. When I got over to him the mouth was closing in on him and was about to attack. There was no time to summon Goemon and it absorbed physical attacks so I did the only thing I could. I raised my arms up in front of me and used my body to guard Ryuji from the attack. Pain flared in my left arm as the mouth’s teeth sunk in causing me to cry out in pain, my eyes shutting as a result.

“Fox!”

I groaned but raised my other hand to my mask and touched it. “Goemon, Bufu.” I gasped. I felt the coldness surround the mouth before bursting like before, Madarame growled in frustration and I felt my body being flung away. I panted as I pushed myself up using my good arm and managed to at least stand before Morgana managed to get to me. “You idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You know what? Don’t answer that, at least you protected Skull so it wasn’t for nothing.” He scolded me as he healed my injury.

It was a weaker one but it was quick and would give me enough strength to continue attacking but I knew that until Morgana or Mishima could get another heal in on me I would mostly be using my katana. My arm was still heavily injured so I did my best to grip my katana in my one hand and ran at the nose. However I skidded to a stop and raised my arm up in front of me as a blast of wind was directed at me, it tore at my arms and made my already injured one feel much worse.

I gasped when I was pulled aside and found myself behind cover with Ryuji. “The mouth was just about to bite you again and I wasn’t going to let it bite your other arm.” He explained when I looked at him. I smiled at that. “Thank you.” I said. Ryuji nodded and after a moment Mishima joined us and I felt a much more powerful heal wash over me. “Alright, get back out there you two. Those eyes need to go.” The supporter said.

I nodded and gripped my katana and rushed back out to attack. I caught sight of an eye and raised my hand to my mask, touching it a releasing Goemon. “Giant Slice!” I commanded. He responded immediately and swung his pipe axe at the eye, knocking it right out of the air. Just as I thought we would be knocking one thing off our list to deal with a pool of black paint formed under it and splashed up, after a moment the eye rose up from the paint and began hovering in the air again, though notably weaker than before. 

“Huh?! They regenerate? Does that mean we have to take them out faster??” Morgana said. I growled in frustration and leaped at the eye, taking down with me. Ryuji knocked the other eye down just as Arsene slammed into the nose and knocked it down as well. Carmen’s fire finished off the mouth easily and like before the black paint surrounded the paintings and we could now attack Madarame again.

We surrounded him again pointing our guns at him. **“Dammit, dammit! Stop it you brats! Our else…”** We ignored him as Akira signaled for an all out attack, I didn’t bother holding back and I don’t think anyone else did either. Once the all out attack was done Madarame was still out so we could get our own licks in. A barrage of bullets rained down on the shadow as we all took turns unloading our clips into him. That same attack from last time came again but now that we knew it was coming it was easy to not get knocked off balance by it. We kept attacking until Madarame reverted forms again, becoming paintings again. My arm still stung from the hit I took last time. 

“He’s changed again…” Morgana muttered. Goro groaned as he shifted his balance slight, taking pressure of his wounded leg from when he couldn’t dodge the mouth in time. “We can’t keep up this pattern very long, any ideas Joker?” He asked.

Akira’s eyes drifted around before they landed on something, when he smiled I looked over to see what he had spotted. Off to the side were buckets of black paint, like what Madarame had been using to weaken us. 

“Let’s turn the tables on him.” Akira said with a grin. I immediately understood what he meant by that and nodded. Ann got a determined look in her eyes. “You’re right, we should paint over him!” She said. Akira looked over at me and I understood that he was going to leave this to me. “I’ll handle it!” I said.

Akira smiled and nodded, giving a slight jerk of his hand that said ‘go’. With that I rushed over to the paint buckets and scooped one up, doing my best to not spill any of it on myself. “Now I just need to find a paint brush.” I muttered to myself. I started searching for a brush as the others kept Madarame busy with attacks, I finally found a large one that would serve its purpose and got ready to spring, waiting for the perfect moment.

When I saw an opening I took it, launching forward and covering Madarame in paint. Madarame let out a startled gasp that sounded slightly cloaked but that didn’t matter, we could finally get this over with. I leaped into the air and pulled out my gun, firing one of my remaining bullets at an eye, the force of the shot pushed me back slightly but I landed easily as the eye fell to the ground.

“That was so cool Fox!” Mishima praised. Goro leaped forward and smacked the nose down with his claws. Akira just straight up took the other eye by kicking it and Ryuji shot the mouth down. Now with all our targets on the ground we preformed an all out attack. Once the attack was done Madarame reverted back to his original form one last time.

**“Damn brats…. You’ll regret this. No adult will ever help you even if you cry out for help one day…”** He hissed. My lips curled back and I growled. “I hope you’re prepared to go down Madarame!” I snarled. With the second all out attack in a row started I felt more free then I did before.

Madarame could only take a few more rounds of attack before he fell to the ground, weakened and defeated. Now that the battle was over I walked over to ‘Sayuri’ that was leaning against the wall nearby. I picked it up gently and held it to my body as I took in what little I remembered of my mother, merely the smell of paint and home cooking. 

I was startled when Madarame began to speak again. **“You can’t blame me! It’s horrible being a poor artist, I just didn’t want to live that kind of life. You understand don’t you Yusuke?!”** Madarame asked. I flipped around to look at the man and couldn’t keep the rage from my eyes or the poison dripping in my words. “You never treated me will to begin with! The life you gave me was the only one I had.” The shadow flinched back at my words but I didn’t feel sorry for it.

Then the shadow turned to look at the others. **“You don’t know a thing about what you’re messing with do you? The Conspiracy won’t overlook what you’re doing after I fall.”** He said.

“Huh?? The hell you talkin’ ‘bout?!” Ryuji asked, looking confused. Akira and Goro however reacted differently. Their eyes widened and they shared a look that I couldn’t quite read. But before I could question them the ground began to shake under my feet. Morgana’s ears flipped back and a worried look appeared on his face. “The Palace is collapsing! We’ve got to go!” He said. He ran forward and transformed into a car, everyone else began to scramble in so I naturally began to make my way to it as well. I stopped however when I felt a hand grip my ankle which tugged me to a stop.

I looked down and saw Madarame gripping my leg, looking desperate. **“Yusuke, what should I do?”** I scoffed and jerked my leg out of his grip. “Confess your sins and use your own artwork for once.” I hissed. I walked away, climbing into the Mona-bus along with the others, clutching ‘Sayuri’ to my chest.

We sped away from Madarame and the courtyard that was now falling apart. I felt dizzy when we exited. 

* * *

Kneeling in the walkway I held ‘Sayuri’ in my arms, keeping it’s face away from passerby so they didn’t recognize it. Ryuji sat down besides me and put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay Yusuke, no one’s going to take it from you.” He muttered to me. I nodded to show I understood but didn’t loosen my grip on the painting. He sighed but seemed to understand that I wouldn’t let go just yet.

“Make sure you keep an eye on Madarame, we didn’t have access to Kamoshida before so having you present could help us understand what happens during the change of heart.” Mishima said, tapping away at his phone, probably jolting down notes of what happened. Ann glared at him as he continued his note taking. “Give the guy a break before you start making data collection your first priority.” She said.

Mishima glanced at her but tucked his phone away. Akira and Goro had stepped away to talk in private, whispering to each other with concern and confusion painting their features. Morgana seemed concern about Akira but the boy had told him that they wanted to talk privately so he allowed them to do so, sitting next to my feet.

“Do you think they know what this ‘Conspiracy’ that Madarame mentioned is?” Ryuji asked, looking at the two friends. Ann crossed her arms as she watched those two as well. “Even if they do they’re probably not going to tell us anything. They still don’t trust us completely, but then again I don’t blame them. Both have been through a lot.” She said. Morgana frowned at that but perked up as the two returned to the group, immediately clambering up to perch on Akira’s shoulders again. Seemingly happy to be at his post once again. 

The two shared a look before turning to us. Goro spoke first. “As you guys can probably guess… we might know something about the Conspiracy that Madarame spoke about… but I don’t want to tell you about it until I can prove it. Not only is what I think it is dangerous… it’s extremely personal to me. Can you trust me with this?” He asked, rubbing his arm. 

_ ‘Personal? What conspiracy could this be if it’s personal to Goro?’ _ I thought to myself. To my surprise Ryuji nodded, he didn’t demand answers, just silently agreed to let Goro do what he had to do. The others agreed after a bit so I nodded as well, if it was personal then it was without a doubt a sore spot for the boy with how he was acting. Goro smiled when we all nodded and sighed. “Thanks guys, I know you want answers but I want to confirm my suspicions before telling you so I know I’m not giving you false information.” He explained.

That made a ton of sense given his personality and his job as a detective. I was surprised when Ryuji let out a yawn and stretched next to me. “God I’m beat! Come on Yusuke, you can spend the night at my place. My mom wouldn’t mind, promise.” He said, turning to me. I was surprised by his offer but accepted, I didn’t want to return to the shack just yet.

“Great! See ya’ guys tomorrow!” He called, starting to make his way towards the station and most likely the train that would take him home. I stood up and followed, waving to the others before i lost sight of them. Tonight would be a peaceful night, that I knew for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, I love hearing them as they encourage me to write more. (I plan to finish this of course but still encouragement is great).


	17. Here to stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time between Madarame's confession and after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates might start slowing down. My head is full of ideas all the time but I promise I'm going to finish this story at some point. Can't promise when though.

_ Mishima’s POV _

At lunch break Akira started messaging the group chat, obviously checking on Yusuke and Madarame’s condition.

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Joker: ** anything to report Fox? how’s Madarame been holding up?

**Fox:** He’s mostly been bedridden and hasn’t spoken that much to me. Though I do believe the change of heart worked since I’ve been sleeping in his room.

**Skull:** Did he really move u in there? Guess that’s proof enough.

**Admin:** So with each change of heart there’s a sudden change in behavior…. I’ll have to note that down. And the bedridden thing too of course, naturally since Madarame is older than Kamoshida this could just be because of his age but it’s still important to note.

**Panther:** Hey data collector, since you’re so good at taking notes can I borrow the ones you made for the last class? I got distracted.

**Admin:** I’ll email them to you.

**Panther:** Great, thanks!

**Crow:** I swear my phone just tried to commit suicide with all the notifications it was getting just now. do any of you understand the meaning of ‘lunch break’?

**Skull:** shut up we all just got on because Joker started messaging Fox and then Panther asked for Admin’s notes.

**Crow:** have any of you eaten yet?

**Joker:** have you?

**Crow:** I asked first.

**Joker:** I asked second. you have such bad eating habits it’s a wonder you survive the day.

**Panther:** I know for sure Admin, Joker, and myself have eaten. As for Skull and Fox I can’t tell you.

**Skull:** I have, my mom packed me something

**Fox:** Kosei provides lunch so I have

**Joker:** Crow?

**Crow:** don’t worry, I have sushi that I’ve been eating. then my phone blew up with notifications, not all of them from here.

**Skull:** must be hard being mr. popular huh?

**Crow:** shut up Skull.

**Crow:** anyways I have to go now, my lunch break just ended so I need to get back to work. I’ll see you all when I get off work.

Everyone bid Goro good-bye and then our bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Tucking my phone out of sight I pulled up my notes about the change of heart. 

**Sudden change in behavior**

**Possibly a time of bedridden**

**The confession**

Satisfied with them I put my phone away as the teacher began the letcher. Mr. Ushimaru didn’t really seem to like Akira for some reason, sure he spent half the class looking out the window seemingly lost in space but he always answered any questions thrown at him correctly so I didn’t get the hostility. I settled down, ready to at least prepend to pay attention so I didn’t get a taste of Ushimaru’s throwing arm when the door to the classroom slid open. Makoto Niijima was standing there.

When Ushimaru glared at her she just shot him a calm smile. “Apologizes sensei but may I borrow Mishima-kun for a little while? It wouldn’t take long.” She said. I frowned when I heard that, why did Niijima-senpai want to talk to me? Mr. Ushimaru seemed to have the same question but nodded nonetheless. Across the room Akira shot me a look that said ‘be careful’ as I stood up and walked over to the door, following Niijima-senpai down the hall. 

“I apologize for pulling you out of class but I have a few questions I want to ask you. That’s alright yes?” She asked. I nodded and leaned against the wall near me as we came to a stop. “Sure, I make sure to take notes in class but I’m sure Akira can tell me what I missed.” I said. 

“Actually, the questions I want to ask you are of Kurusu-kun. From what I understand he’s your friend?” Niijima-senpai asked. I nodded. “Yeah, the rumors about him are completely false though. The only ‘weapons’ he carries in his bag happens to be his emotional support cat and a model knife that can’t hurt anyone.” I said. Niijima nodded at that and pulled out her notepad. “What about temper? Does he have anger issues?” She asked.

“It’s very hard to piss Akira off, you have to press a few very specific buttons to get him mad. And even then I’ve never seen him get majorly pissed, he usually cools off pretty fast when he gets mad. As for anger issues in general he’s pretty good at making sure he doesn’t snap at anyone when he’s mad.” I said. Niijima nodded and began writing again. “So he’s good about controlling his temper? What about this cat you mentioned?” She asked.

“Like I said Morgana is his emotional support cat, goes with him everywhere. Akira gets super shy around strangers and Morgana helps with that. Have you noticed how he stutters when someone he doesn’t know talks to him? He used to stutter around me too, but when he became comfortable around me it disappeared. He’s also distrustful so if you really want to know him you have to get involved with him yourself.” I said. Niijima-senpai looked surprised by what I said but looked at me. 

“Why do you say he’s distrustful?” She asked. I sighed and looked away from her. “I’ve known him since he came here but when it comes to his personal problems and what’s going on in his mind I know nothing. He bottles things up, only Goro knows what goes on in his head most of the time. They share a lot of things with each other but they don’t trust any of us completely just yet to tell us the whole story. Akira is slow to trust and always wary, acting like he’s walking a tightrope with every conversation he has, choosing what he says carefully to ensure what he says is fully understood.” I said.

Niijima nodded and looked at the time. “Okay, you can return to class. Thank you for talking to me.” She said. I nodded and returned to class.

_ Makoto’s POV _

I chewed on my pencil as I looked at the notes I had taken about Akira Kurusu.

**Mysterious personality**

**Nervous around strangers**

**Distrustful**

**Keeps to himself**

**Keeps emotional support cat named Morgana in his bag**

The profile makes him sound like someone who would be too cautious to be involved in the Phantom Thieves but Principal Kobayakawa was convinced he was in some way. Just because he had a criminal record, why did he have one in the first place? Maybe if I get to know him like Mishima suggested then I could learn that. I sighed and stood up from my seat, walking through the door. I could figure something out tomorrow.

As I walked down the stairs I nearly ran into Kurusu who was on his way out too it seemed. He jerked slightly as I nearly bumped into him. “O-oh! N-Niijima-sempai. I-I wasn’t expecting to r-run into you.” He stammered. 

I smiled at him, remembering that Akechi requested that I be nice to him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you either. How are you doing Kurusu-kun?” I asked. Kurusu reached up and twirled some of his raven curls around his fingers. “F-fine, there a-are still some nasty rumors g-going around but what can you do? I-I’ve grown used to it though. I-I’ve mostly been left alone which i-is good.” He said, barely stammering through the sentence.

There came a sharp meow from his bag and a head popped out, the head belonged to a black cat with a white mussel and bright blue eyes. The cat meowed again, almost sounding scolding as a white paw came out and smacked Kurusu’s arm. I giggled as Kurusu blushed, pushing the cat’s head back in his bag. “What a cute cat, it’s nice to see that you have such a cute helper.” I giggled.

Kurusu blushed some more as the cat poked his head out of the bag, meowing cutely. “M-Morgana is my e-emotional support cat… I-I didn’t really tell the s-school because I d-didn’t want to seem weak…” He said. I smiled as I reached over and gave Morgana’s head a pat, happy to hear the cat purr as I did so. “I don’t think having an animal to help you shows weakness. Some people just need a little help, like how some people need service dogs.” I said. 

Kurusu smiled softly, his eyes gentle with very shaky trust. “T-thanks, um… I should g-get going. W-when I don’t get b-back in time my g-guardian will s-sometimes worry.” He said. I nodded and Kurusu left, rather fast if I do say so myself. Then again if he was really distrustful by nature then it would make sense that he'd want to remove himself from the situation as fast as possible. I sighed softly and left Shujin, maybe Sis will be home tonight.

* * *

“It’s nice that you could join us for dinner Akechi-kun.” I said, looking at the boy across from me. Akechi chuckled and popped another piece of sushi in his mouth. “Well Sae-san did invite me so it would have been rude to decline. Though tomorrow evening I have plans made so I will be there.” He said politely. Akechi is always polite, no matter what. You could call him ‘bastard’ and he’d still act polite. I know, I’ve done it before. 

But he’s Sis’s partner so I have to be at least respectful when he’s over. Sis looked over at him with a soft smile on her face. “Really? What are you doing on a Saturday night?” She asked. Akechi smiled and waved his hands around a little bit as he talked, clearly excited. “Ryuji recently got the second season of this show he likes and invited us to binge the first season with him. Usually when we do that we all end up spending the night so it makes sense to hold it Saturday after school and Sunday. This is also the first session we’re holding that Yusuke is invited to so there’s no way I’d miss it.” He said.

Sis chuckled softly at Akechi’s excitement to be spending time with his close friends. “Is Yusuke a new friend of yours? This is the first time I’ve heard of him.” She asked. Akechi nodded, popping another piece of sushi in his mouth. “Yeah, we met him on the last day of exams. He’s an artist and he wanted Ann to model for a painting but we all just sorta started hanging out. He’s a little odd but he’s not a bad guy at all, you just have to take some time to get used to him.” He said.

I chewed on a piece of sushi as Sis asked Akechi more about Akechi’s new friend, he only had Kurusu until the other moved here and he was suddenly making quite a few new friends. Akechi’s phone buzzed on the table which caused him to pick it up and look at it. I had caught sight of the contact name,  _ Aki _ . Akechi smiled as he texted something back to them before setting it down again. I guessed that  _ Aki _ was probably Kurusu with how fond Akechi looked at the phone. 

“Something going on with your friends?” Sis asked. Akechi nodded and showed us the picture that he got, Ryuji Sakamoto was in it, holding a plushie in his hands and smirking at the camera. The text read,  _ I said he couldn’t win anything from the claw machine, he proved me wrong XD. _ “Akira and Ryuji decided to go to the arcade after school. Akira doesn’t get out that much so Ryuji thought it would be a good idea to go together. Clearly they are having fun.” He said. Akechi set his phone down again only for it to buzz again, he looked at it again and grinned again. He showed us a different picture, this time sent by someone called  _ Pirate Boi _ . The picture was of Kurusu, happily munching on a crepe with Ann Takamaki’s arm slung over his shoulder, Morgana poking his head out of Kurusu’s bag, munching on a piece of crepe Takamaki was slipping him.

The text read  _ met up with Ann at the crepe shop and got crepes. Y is Kira so cute? _ Sis chuckled as another text came in, asking if he could join them. “You should go spend some time with your friends.” She said. Akechi nodded and got up, not wasting any time in leaving.

I’ve never felt more jealous of Akechi before now.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“Goro you’ve got some whipped cream on your nose.” I giggled. Ann and Ryuji laughed as the brunet of the group licked the whipped cream off his nose and took another bite of his crepe like nothing had happened. Goro laughed too after swallowing his bite, Morgana snickered from inside my bag, looking fondly at the group. “Maybe we should see if Yusuke or Mishima are free? It would be nice to just hang out all together.” He said. I pulled out my phone without hesitation.

**Joker:** Hey Fox, Admin, are you guys free? The rest of us are in the underground mall if you guys want to hang out.

After a bit there was an answer.

**Admin:** I’ve really got to catch up on my studies, sorry guys.

**Fox:** I’m actually in the underground mall right now.

**Joker:** Where are you so we can meet up?

After a bit of typing Yusuke responded. 

**Fox:** How about you all come and find me? ;P

Akira chuckled at the response. “I guess we’re hunting for foxes then.” He said.

**Joker:** Oh you’re so on.

**Admin:** you know what? Screw studying, I’m hunting for foxes tonight.

With that we split up around the mall in search of Yusuke who definitely had no intentions of being found quickly. After a few minutes our phones pinged with a text. 

**Admin:** Dang it! I nearly had him!

**Fox:** You’ll have to try better than that to catch me ;P

We continued our search until I spotted Yusuke slip into a store. I signaled to the others and walked into the bookstore, I nearly cornered him but he slipped outside, right into the waiting arms of Goro, Ann, and Ryuji.

“Gottcha!” Ryuji yelled, pouncing on Yusuke’s back. The blonde managed to get the artist into a headlock as Goro and I grabbed his arms, Ann of course took a picture. 

We were all laughing as Yusuke tried to struggle out of our hold even though he was laughing as well. “Curses! I was hoping to draw this out a little longer.” He laughed. Morgana leaped from my bag and onto Yusuke’s head. “You might be a Phantom Thief but you still have a long way to go before you’re a fully fledged Phantom Thief!” He declared.

Yusuke laughed as we released him. “I’ll have to work on that as we work together.” He said.

“So… you want to stay in the Phantom Thieves?” Ann asked, twirling a little hair around her finger. After a bit Yusuke nodded. “Of course, this is the first group I’ve ever been a part of, I’m not going to give it up so easily.” He said with a fond smile on his face. I grinned happily and grabbed Yusuke, ruffling his hair. “Good, you better be ready to spend more time with us when we all meet for the binge session at Ryuji’s tomorrow.” I said.

“I’m well prepared. I certainly can’t wait for it!” Yusuke said happily. Mishima finally joined us then and pounced his way into the pile, we all grinned happily as Ann took a picture with all of us in it. “That one’s a keeper, like everything else about this group.” She said. I laughed as Yusuke grinned, blushing slightly, Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.

* * *

“I can’t wait to show you guys  _ Grimm _ ! It’s one of my favorite shows and I’m sure you guys are going to love it! Especially Goro, Yusuke is also going to love the design of some of the characters.” Ryuji chirped happily, taking the steps two at a time. Ann and I nearly had to run to catch up with him, we both had a spare change of clothes in our bags so we could go straight to Ryuji’s home. 

As we trotted down the stairs Ryuji nearly ran into Niijima-senpai. “Oops! Sorry Prez, didn’t see you there.” He said, skidding back so he didn’t run head-long into the third year. Niijima-senpai huffed softly and shook her head. “You’re certainly in a rush to get home Sakamoto-kun, I’m guessing you have plans?” She asked. Ryuji nodded excitedly. “Yup! Binge session of a show I really like, you’d probably like it too Miss Prez now that I think about it. Anyways we’ve got to go, see ya!” He said, dashing off right after. Ann followed him while I stayed back a bit to talk to Niijima-senpai. 

“S-sorry about that. W-we’ve been looking f-forward to this all week. T-this is the first session Yusuke will b-be joining us for so we’re all p-pretty pumped.” I said. Niijima sighed softly but there was a small smile just barely pulling at her lips. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sakamoto-kun so excited, he’s been kinda depressed ever since his leg was broken and the track team was disbanded.” She said.

“D-did… you k-know that Kamoshida broke h-his leg on purpose?” I asked, I had to know. Niijima looked away before she answered. “I managed to look at the X-ray, there was no way it was broken when he fell down the stairs. I told Principal Kobayakawa but he refused to look into it, that probably should have warned me that there was something wrong. But I was too busy with other things to look into it.” She admitted. We stood there for a bit before Ann pointed her head back in. “Hey, Ryuji’s kinda running circles around the school so let's go so we have a chance of beating Goro to his apartment.” She said.

“Right! See you later Niijima-senpai.” I said before dashing out after Ann. We rejoined Ryuji and raced to the train station and slipped onto the train that would take us to Ryuji’s apartment complex.

* * *

_ Yusuke’s POV _

“So this show is called  _ Grimm _ ? What is it about?” I asked, looking at Ryuji. After school everyone had changed into comfortable clothing (Ryuji said it was a requirement, Goro explained that most of the time they ended up spending the night after so it was just easier to wear something comfortable). Akira wore a black long-sleeved turtleneck and soft pants. Ann wore a black tank top that had  _ Love _ written on it in pink and sweatpants. Goro’s loungewear was the most surprising to me since I hadn’t ever seen him wearing anything besides his school uniform or his outdoor wear, the outfit he wore now consisting of a Featherman T-shirt and rather comfortable looking jeans.

Mishima wore a long sleeved green and white T-shirt not unlike what he would wear when he goes out and comfy pants. Ryuji wore a black T-shirt under a purple hoodie that had three 7s on the back and pajama pants. I had chosen to wear a loose white shirt and sweatpants, allowing the long sleeves to cover my hands. Ryuji smiled at me as he pulled a DVD case from his cabinet, the front showed three men, two white one black, over the word  _ Grimm _ , under that appeared to be clips from the show.

“The show does a pretty good job at explaining it but I can give you a run down. The main character is named Nick Burkhardt and he’s a detective solving cases in Portland Oregon which is in America. He sees stuff that most people can’t so it’s his job to make sure stuff doesn’t get out of control. You’ll understand it more once Monroe starts explaining some of the stuff in the show.” Ryuji said. 

“It doesn’t sound too different from  _ Fridge _ , expect there it’s a different theme to this one.” Ann said. Goro walked in, a bowl full of popcorn in each hand and balancing one on his head. I walked over and took the balancing bowl causing Goro to shoot a smile at me as we carried them over to the table and set them down. “Thanks, I was afraid I would drop that one.” He said. I smiled and gave him a nod. “It’s nothing, glad I could help.” I said.

As we continued to set up everything I had to ignore the growing ache in my arm. It had been aching with varying intensity ever since the battle with Madarame but I figured that it would go away with time since the ache came and went so irregularly. I was hit with a partially bad ache which caused me to take my arm and rub the area.

“You doing alright Yusuke? Is your arm bothering you?” Ryuji asked, always observing. I nodded, deciding that I would tell the truth before the others got worried about me. “It’s just been aching a little since the battle with Madarame. It’ll probably go away after a few weeks.” I said. I could practically feel the worry in the air.

“Can I see your arm Yusuke? I want to check it for something.” Ryuji said. I immediately gave it to him since I trusted him. Ryuji rolled up my sleeve and saw the very thin white line that had appeared there. He pressed on it and it stung a little but it was enough for me to deal with it. Ryuji was still frowning as he rubbed over the area, suddenly there was a stinging pain which caused me to hiss and jerk my arm out of Ryuji’s grip.

“Yeah, there was probably a little bone damage. I didn’t think that bite was all that bad.” Ryuji said. Morgana looked at my arm and frowned as well. “That mark was pretty deep, I thought I saw some bone at the time but I brushed it off when he seemed to do just fine after.” He said. 

“I’m okay, really. It’s nothing I can’t deal with.” I said. Goro frowned at me and huffed softly. “I hate to break it to you Yusuke but it’s not that simple with bone damage. Something like that has a lasting effect, Ryuji can tell you that for sure.” He said. Ryuji nodded and rubbed his leg, the one that was broken by Kamoshida. “You’re going to have good and bad days, you seem to be handling it alright but you shouldn’t expect it to be easy.” He said. I nodded, understanding that this would be something that would have a long lasting effect on me and wouldn’t just go away after a week or so.

I was snapped away from my thoughts as Ann clapped her hands. “I know this is a serious thing but we did come here to have fun so let’s get to watching already!” She chirped. I was grateful for Ann pulling the attention away from me and back to what we had come here for. 

Goro leaped up and grabbed the remote as Ryuji finally popped the DVD into the player. The previews weren’t that interesting to me aside from advertising the second season which gave me my first look into the show, it looked so interesting and made me giddly to watch it. The title screen played the theme song and I knew right away that I would be humming it long after this day was over.

**(A/N WARNING! Grimm is an actual show I have watched. I am about to vaguely describe the first episode and can I just say that this show isn’t child friendly. The people who die in Grimm die very violently so this is your warning. If you wish to watch Grimm without any first episode spoilers you can skip over this. And if you have a problem with blood or gore it’s okay to skip over this as well. I’ll put in another note when it’s over.)**

The episode started with a quote from the brothers Grimm which seemed to be the inspiration for this show as we looked at the forest scene. It was lovely but had a sinister undertone as a woman excited the building, she was wearing a red sweatshirt, pink shoes, pink ipod with white earbuds which stood out against all the dull colors surrounding her.

I watched as the woman went out for a jog, listening to a song on her ipod. We all jumped when she was attacked by… something. The animalistic growl that came from it leaned towards an animal but it was almost the woman’s size so that couldn’t be true. Something odd was going on in this town that was for sure.

“Is that woman dead?” Morgana asked. Goro tilted his head and hummed softly. “I think so, we heard her screaming and she stopped after a bit so I think she’s dead.” He said. Akira nudged Goro so he shut up so we could continue watching the show.

In the next scene we appear to be looking through the lense of a camera as a man walks out of a store holding an engagement ring in the box. When the camera shutters, obviously taking a picture, the man asks what the cameraman, Hank, is doing. We’re no longer looking through the camera and we see Hank, a black man with a sturdy looking build.  _ “Just testing out the new equipment and getting a picture of you while you’re still young and innocent.“ _ Hank says to the other.

The other man leans against the car saying that he was only getting married once, not four times and looks out, immediately focusing on a blonde haired woman walking by. When Hank accuses him of having a wandering eye his partner responds with several observations of the woman he made very quickly. Hank then asks why the other couldn’t just look at her like everyone else and then tells ‘Nick’ that they have a call. In the blink of an eye the woman changes, skin grey and hair wiry white, eyes black pools of nothing. Nick appears to notice this shift but Hank doesn’t.

“That’s weird, definitely seeing a difference from what we saw in Fridge.” Goro said. Morgana’s ears were perked with interest and Akira tilted his head. I could understand their intrigue, I was curious as well to find out exactly what was going on.

The scene has changed from the city to the forest, colors still muted and sky grey with clouds. A ranger was telling Hank and Nick how that a hiker had flagged him down to the scene, the scene showed to be bits of clothes and we could see a leg. Clearly it must have been the woman from earlier because they soon find her pink Nikki, her foot still inside.

When they asked the ranger what he thought did this and he told them that tracks would usually tell them before showing them the only track they found which was a boot print. Nick calls for a cast of it almost right away, clearly he knew his job very well. After that he and Hank wander the scene a bit and Nick pauses, asking Hank if he could hear that. When Hank asks what he means he responds with music, Nick follows the sound and soon finds the ipod the woman had.

Hank recognizes the song as ‘Sweet Dreams’ and when he mumbles a little bit Nick jokes that he didn’t know he could sing, clearly the two were close. Thinking it could be related they decide to collect it and have it fingerprinted. The scene changes again and we see a woman driving a truck pulling a trailer behind it, she has some cloth covering her head where her hair would be but I don’t see any. When she pulls up to a house and gets out the scene cuts away again to the police station Nick must work at.

“Wonder who she is, she seems important.” Morgana said. Goro shrugs and hums softly. “Well whoever she is she probably isn’t going to be around for very long. My guess is she’s suffering from some form of cancer, might not have that long to live.” He said. I looked over at Ryuji and noticed the knowing look in his eyes, cancer seemed to be the correct guess but who was she was still a question.

Nick sees another person change which no one else seems to notice before investigating more and IDing the girl. We see the same house the woman pulled up to and inside we see her sitting at the table cutting vegetables. When Nick approaches he seems to be cautious but the theory that he doesn’t know her flies right out the window when he smiles upon seeing her and greets her warmly, calling her ‘Aunt Marie’.

“So they’re related? Makes sense then that she’d come visit him.” Goro says.

Nick’s girlfriend Juliette greets Nick as well, saying that Aunt Marie was there before she got home, Aunt Marie apologizes and does tell them that she meant to call but neither seem to mind her sudden appearance at all. Nick seems rather happy to see his aunt and when she asks for a hug he gives it readily. During this hug Aunt Marie tells Nick that they need to talk.

As they walked down the street they talked, it was confirmed that Aunt Marie was suffering from cancer there but no one was sure how long she had before it took her life. She also asked Nick if he was seeing things which he admitted that he had, Aunt Marie was not happy to hear this news. She talked about the family burden and how it already seemed to be passing on to Nick before she stopped talking and began looking around.

“Why’d she cut herself off?” Ann questioned softly. Goro shrugged. “Maybe she heard something that worries her.” He said.

After a bit Aunt Marie says that someone had followed her, when Nick asked who she said ‘Hulda’. After that the same man we saw in the station jumped out, attacking Aunt Marie who fought back vigorously. Hulda was swinging some form of scyle at her and when she fell to the ground Nick got his attention by shooting him. Before Hulda could attack Nick he shot him several more times, killing him without a doubt. After Hulda was on the ground his face changed to look normal again.

After the title is displayed we see Nick and Aunt Marie talk more, she is clearly injured. When Aunt Marie hands Nick something and tells him that his parents were murdered he is clearly in shock. The police come and they talk to Nick and Juliette who called it in.

Nick goes to the hospital where Marie laid, she asks if he saw who Hulda was and he tells her he wasn't sure what he saw. She tells him that they could see what no one else saw and that this wasn’t a fairy tail and to never lose what she gave him, and that everything was in her trailer. When Nick messes with the object he finds that it opens to a key.

At the station Nick and Hank talk more about Hulda and we learn he was a bad man. Another officer tells Nick that the captain wants to see him. The captain asks how he’s holding up and tells him that he was required to see the police psychologist and to get some rest.

After a nightmare Nick goes into the trailer and starts looking around, books, viles, weapons, and all sorts of objects were kept in the trailer. Nick looks at the book open on the desk and we see drawings on it, even something called a Hexenbiest that we saw earlier. Juliette comes in to see how long he was in there.

They talk more as they return inside and we learn Nick didn’t even know Marie owned the trailer. The next day we learn what kind of boot the man wore. The scene changes and we see the man walking around with the boots, when a little girl walks past him wearing a red sweater he turns and changes his course to follow her.

At the hospital we learn Marie has fallen into a coma before he’s called away by the little girl going missing. After telling them about the search the captain is approached by Nick and Hank and talks about the uni student who had worn a red sweatshirt as well. At their own area Hank and Nick enter the park as Hank points out that she probably cut through it, Hank finds the girl’s backpack and calls it in. Nick finds more boot prints and follows them outside the park. He watches as a man grabs his mail and then transforms as he watches some kids pass by.

Nick is convinced he was the man and after searching the house they don’t find her, the man stares at Nick through the window of the police car. Nick is back in the trailer that night, flipping through that book. Soon he’s back at the man’s house and watches him.

The man comes out and walks around his fence, peeing on it. Once he’s done he goes back inside. Nick walks away but before he gets far the man jumps through his window and says he shouldn’t have come back. Very quickly he changes tune and invites Nick into his home for a drink. They talk and Nick learns he’s what is called a Grimm and the man is called a Blutbad and that he was reformed.

Nick and the man talk more and tell him about the little girl, asking about if he knows where any other blutbaden are. The blutbad was a clockmaker apparently and didn’t want to get involved but did. We see a van driving over a bridge and a man gets out, pulling a bag from the back. We hear crying coming from the bag. He takes the bag into an area under the house and out of the bag comes Robin. When Robin asks to go home the man says she is home, as he puts her sweater away he hums the song from the Ipod to himself.

Soon we see Nick and the man again, the man with his head out the window of his Bug. When Nick asks if he can really smell him the man says  _ “Dude, you have no idea.” _ We see the other Blutbad looking at his shoe before we see Nick and the man again. They cross the river from below and head through the house. Once they get there however the man says that Nick is on his own and bolts, afraid of what would happen if he gets any closer.

Nick calls Hank and tells him that he found her. The other Blutbad looks out the window before he’s distracted by Robin, asking to go home again. Hank arrives and Nick tells him where the man is and then goes through what he went through with the other again. When Hank asks questions Nick dodges everything and Nick asks if he trusts him so Hank goes along. They knock and the man answers and they ask if they could ask a few questions so the man asks them to come inside. He seems calm but Nick clearly believes he has it right. Hank asks the man what he does which is a postman, Nick asks where he was and they go through the usual stuff.

They look through the man’s shoes, Hank leaves before Nick is ready but he follows him. After they leave Hank realizes that the man was humming the song from the ipod. They return and during the search and events after Hank shoots the man and kills him outside. Nick asks him where the girl is but he doesn't answer. Hank says that she must be in the house so they start to search.

Nick notices the trapdoor and opens it, finding her and saving her life. Hank doesn't know how Nick did it but he did it. At the hospital Nick says there’s a lot he doesn’t understand but says he’s willing to do what he has to. The same woman from earlier tries to poison Marie but gets Nick instead. Outside the hospital she gets into the same car as the captain. The captain asks if Marie is dead and she says no. At the very end of the episode Marie’s eyes open.

**(A/N: Spoilers over.)**

As the credits roll Goro hits pause. “Okay, this is really interesting. What do you guys think?” He asked. I lean back and rest my arm on the couch. “I really liked it, it had nice imagery and a interesting story line.” I said. Akira nodded, seeming to agree with me. Mishima shrugged. “I understood most of it but there was a lot of english that I barely understood.” He said. Ann giggled and rubbed Mishima on the head. “Don’t worry, I can tutor you if you want.” She said.

Mishima grinned at her shyly and Ryuji shuffled around in his seat. “You guys want to watch the next episode?” He asked. Everyone immediately agreed so Goro hit play and we all settled in for episode two.

* * *

It’s a bad sign when the vibrations of a phone set on vibrate wakes you up from a deep sleep. My eyes blinked open as I heard the phone get picked up. After a bit I heard Goro’s drowsy voice speaking. “What? I told you earlier that I would be busy… I just woke up actually. You can handle it yourself can’t you? Okay, bye.” The phone was set down and I rolled over to see Goro snuggling into the blanket further, curled against Akira just like he was before I fell asleep.

“Did I wake you up Yusuke? Sorry, I put it on vibrate.” The brunet asked sleepily. I stretched out on the floor and rested my head on the pillow underneath me. “Not your fault, even the vibrations woke me. Who was that?” I asked.

“Sae-san. She was wondering if I was available, hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep so she’s going to handle the case until I clock in.” Goro said. I looked at the clock and saw it was 3:30 in the morning. “She called this late?” I asked. Goro shrugged. “I have problems sleeping so she figured there was a chance I was awake.” He said. 

“Do I need to ask if Ryuji has any melatonin or can you guys go back to sleep?” Akira mumbled softly. Goro looked at his best friend and murmured a soft apology, I swore softly that I saw love in his garnet eyes. I rolled over on my side and allowed sleep to pull at me once again.

* * *

We were all walking around when the news came on, I could barely comprehend it as Madarame confessed, crying his eyes out. I felt a hand on my shoulder so I looked over to see Ryuji looking at me softly. “It’s okay if you don’t know how to feel. It’s normal I think.” He said. Akira nodded as we stood together, Mishima was writing in his notebook like he always did when he found something to collect data on. 

“Do you guys want to celebrate like last time? If so, how about a less public place so we can talk freely.” Goro asked. I nodded. “Sure, but after I get settled into the dorms maybe.” I said. He nodded and we continued on our way, talking and laughing. On the way we passed a girl who was muttering to herself about the Phantom thieves. 

* * *

I was glad everyone was willing to meet up on such short notice, I had my things with me as everyone showed up. Akira spoke up first. “Is everything okay Yusuke? The dorms not treating you well? Doesn’t look like you’ve slept very well.” He asked. I shook my head sadly. “It’s too loud and chaotic there. I can’t think straight there, I was wondering if I could stay with one of your guys for a while.” I said. Ryuji scratched his head. “My mom probably wouldn’t mind a few nights but we can barely get by sometimes.” He said.

“I’m not sure what Sakura-san would say if I asked if you could say for a few days.” Akira said, looking sad. Goro looked up before looking at me with a smile. “Well my apartment can sometimes get too quiet so I don’t mind if you want to stay for a while.” He said. Ann immediately jumped on the idea. “Oh, how about we all go there and hang out! I’ve never seen your apartment.” She said.

Everyone agreed and Goro smiled. “Okay, it’s too big for me anyways. The department gave it to me shortly after my first TV appearance as a reward.” He said. Goro led us to a nice looking apartment building in Shibuya and to a apartment near the back of the building. Goro was right when he said it was too big for just him, it was more fit for two or three people. 

The decor was sparse and what was there was very simple. The kitchen looked well used, the counters cluttered with kitchen supplies such as wiskes, bowls, and other things. Morgana hopped out of Akira’s bag and wandered around with Goro leading me to the bedrooms. There appeared to be three, Goro’s, a guest, and another one that had Akira’s name on it. I guessed that after his probation was up instead of going home Akira planned to move in here.

Goro opened the guest room door and I saw a rather simple room but it still looked comfortable. As I entered Goro spoke. “It’s not much but you can decorate it however you like if you want to stay.” He said. I nodded and set my stuff down near the bed before exciting and rejoining everyone else. Akira looked comfortable in the apartment as Ann and Ryuji wandered around to see everything there was.

“The kitchen is pretty messy, are you in there often?” Ryuji asked as he picked up a dirty wisk. Goro nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, I have a thing for sweets and when I’m having a sleepless night I’ll sometimes bake to pass the time.” He said. Ann perked up at that and began to bounce on the balls of her feet. “Oh, can we make cookies?? As a bonding thing you know? Can we?” She asked.

“That actually sounds pretty fun, how about it Goro?” Ryuji asked. Goro looked surprised but smiled a bit. “Sure, I don’t see why not. I have several recipes so we can make several kinds.” He said. So we helped Goro get out several ingredients for the cookies they would be making.

We made a batch of chocolate chip cookies first and got a batch of sugar cookies that needed to be chilled so we put the batter in the fridge as we worked on another batch. According to Goro they were snickerdoodles and that they would taste good but I was looking forward to eating some. As we worked I noticed that both Akira and Goro were a little distant which needed fixing fast.

I didn’t like seeing my friends upset like how they were so I looked around for a way to do so without hurting them. I knew right now that we weren’t using the flour right now and that we had plenty of it so maybe a flour fight would be a good idea. Goro’s kitchen was pretty messy and since I was going to move in I could help him clean up easily. 

So I scoped up the bag of flour and grabbed a handful, I aimed carefully before flinging it right at Goro. The brunet gasped and sputtered as he shook his head to clear away the flour. Immediately after Akira started to laugh, his laugh was lovely, his smile shining like the moon.

Goro looked at his best friend and scowled, but then a grin appeared on his face. He grabbed a handful of flour and flung it on Akira, the younger of the two squealed as he was doused in flour. The fight encompassed the entire kitchen and soon we were all covered in flour, laughing at how silly we all looked covered in it from head to toe.

_ ‘Yeah, I think I’m here to stay.’ _ I thought as I looked at everyone else. Mishima chuckled softly and shook himself off. “Let’s clean up, even Morgana is covered in flour.” He said. I laughed as Akira fretted over his four legged companion who was insisting he was fine.  _ ‘Yup, there is no place I’d rather be.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos if you liked and comment your thoughts, I love hearing them and they motivate me to write.


	18. Wheels in motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's going on with the Phantom thieves today? Let's find out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter. A lot of shit happened and let's just say the past few weeks hasn't been pleasant. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_ Akira’s POV _

“Akira, Ryuji is here!” I heard Sojiro call from downstairs.

“Coming!” I called down to him. I had been staring at the summer uniform for a while before Sojiro pulled me out of my thoughts. We would be switching to it tomorrow and the problem I had with it was the short sleeves. My scarred up arms would be in plain view of the whole school and I didn’t want any more rumors to appear because of them.

I slipped on the blazer before scooping up my bag which Morgana hopped into quickly. I trotted down the stairs and greeted Ryuji, taking the termos full of coffee that Sojiro passed me. I waved good-bye to my guardian as Ryuji and I exited, heading for the train station. Since learning we didn’t live that far away from each other Ryuji made a point to walk with me to the train station everyday to make me feel more comfortable.

Sojiro has slowly been warming up to me since I have arrived under his care and I felt better about living with him. As we walked to the station we chatted, Morgana started up a bickering session when he noticed Ryuji looking down to get his mind off whatever was bothering him. I chuckled as I watched Morgana’s odd way of comforting Ryuji about whatever was wrong.

After a bit the blonde huffed and turned away from our four legged friend who was smirking proudly. “Feeling better now?” He asked after a bit. Ryuji huffed but smiled and looked at Morgana. “Yeah, thanks for that. Guess I needed that.” He said. I chuckled and sighed softly. “We’ll be switching to summer uniforms tomorrow.” I started out.

Ryuji looked confused but then a lightbulb lit up in his head. “Oh right! Thanks for reminding me. Is something about the uniform bothering you?” He asked. I nodded and rubbed my arm. He seemed to get it right away without me even having to say it out loud. “Ah, right. Arms, that’ll be a problem for you huh? You can wear a different shirt ‘Kira. I do it all the time and don’t get in trouble so you should be fine.” He said.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked. Ryuji nodded. “Yeah, I wear a different shirt than the uniform shirt and I don’t get in trouble so you should be fine as long as that’s the only thing you don’t wear.” He said. I looked at him unsure but I know that he does wear a different shirt then the uniform shirt and I haven’t seen him get in trouble for it before.

“If you’re so sure. I just don’t think I can handle anymore rumors about me going around.” I said. Ryuji smiled and patted my shoulder. “It’s okay man, just wear a long sleeved shirt like you usually do. No one will get onto you.” He said. I took a breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay. That’ll definitely make me feel better.” I said. Ryuji nodded and we continued to walk.

* * *

I couldn’t look at Niijima-senpai as she looked me over, noticing the lack of the white short sleeved button up that was a part of the summer uniform and the long sleeved black turtleneck I wore in its place. She raised her eyebrows at me as she glanced over me again. “Might I ask why you are wearing a long sleeved shirt instead of the uniform short sleeved?” She asked.

“I-I get cold easily is all.” I lied, I know that I’m not usually the best liar but I was hoping Niijima-senpai would not ask anymore questions. She looked me over again but then shrugged. “I wouldn’t keep you any longer, just get to class. If anyone gets onto you then I suggest you wear the uniform shirt next time.” She said. I nodded and headed for class, silently questioning why she would be greeting students at the door when she seems so antisocial but I decided to not question her generosity.

I sat down at my desk and slipped Morgana into the space there who curled up there for a nap. Mishima came over to chat with me and Ann before class like the routine we have settled into by now. He sat on my desk and smiled at me, not mentioning the turtleneck I was wearing as he began to talk about what he learned by comparing the data between Kamoshida and Madarame.

“It looks like the time between stealing the Treasure and the change of heart, aka the confession, seems to be between 2 and 3 weeks but that’s just between two samples. In order to be conclusive I would need a bigger sample size to compare.” He said. We had all agreed that as long as we didn’t mention the Phantom Thieves by name then it was okay to talk about our exploits at school as we could say that we were talking about a video game we were playing if anyone asked what we were talking about. We were also being super vague about it so no one could say we were talking about the Phantom Thieves or not.

“Well that makes sense, nothing has proven to be instantaneous. The card has an effect but only after reading it, seeing the card doesn’t trigger anything.” I said. Mishima nodded as Ann twirled one of her pigtails around her finger. “Is there another method of sending them? Besides writing them down?” She asked. Morgana poked his head out of my desk to answer her question, since only we can hear him out in the real world he can talk freely. “Actually you can, as long as it calls out their sins and declares that the Treasure is in danger then it should work.” He said.

I patted Morgana’s head making it look like he had been asking for attention and that he wasn’t explaining something to us in a voice only we could hear. No one has mentioned him to the teachers so far and if any of the teachers have seen him they certainly haven't gotten onto me for it. Noticing that we had no more questions he could answer he disappeared back into the desk to go back to napping. Before we could talk anymore the teacher walked in so Mishima went to his seat so they could start the lesson.

I sighed softly and reached a hand into the desk to pet Morgana as he napped to soothe myself just in case I got very anxious during the lecture. Luckily it was Kawakami who walked in first as the homeroom teacher, I noticed right away that her eyes were drawn to me which made sense. My turtleneck was black so I stood out against the other students who all wore the standard uniform shirt which was white. However she didn’t say anything and just started the lesson which made me feel better about wearing my turtleneck.

* * *

“Kurusu-kun can I talk to you for a minute?” 

I was shocked when Kawakami approached me after school ended, of course I was nervous about what she wanted to say but nevertheless I nodded. Ann and Mishima looked at me but they left like everyone else leaving me and Kawakami alone. I looked at my teacher before speaking since she has stated that she prefers me to look at her when I speak. "W-what is it Ms. Kawakami?" I asked.

"I noticed that you are wearing a long sleeved shirt, can you tell me why?" Kawakami asked. Her tone suggested that she was concerned but about what I wasn't sure. I looked at the desk as I spoke, feeling too anxious to look at Kawakami as I answered. "M-my arms get c-cold easily. That's all." I said. Kawakami's eyebrow raised at my answer but to my surprise she didn't drop it like Niijima-senpai had.

"If that's true why not roll up your sleeves so I can see your arms." Kawakami said. My head shot up and I could tell by the look on her face that she was serious. "N-no, I d-don't want to." I stuttered out. Kawakami got an exasperated look on her face at my down right refusal. "I'm not asking if you're comfortable with it. Kurusu-kun I am your teacher, as a result I am obliged to be worried about your well-being. I want to see your arms because I want to make sure you're not hurting yourself." She explained calmly.

I knew right away what she was trying to make me understand without down right saying it, she wouldn't drop this matter until she saw my arms. I looked at Morgana who looked at me worried but we both knew that I didn't have much choice, I just hoped that I could convince her not to tell anyone. So after a minute I grabbed the sleeve covering my right arm and pulled it up. When Kawakami gasped I knew she wasn't focusing on the three faded bite marks near my wrist which were clearly self inflicted. No, she was focused on the large scar going from the middle of my forearm to my elbow, this was clearly not self inflicted but a clear sign of abuse.

"I'm calling the police." Was the first thing out of her mouth. I leaped forward and managed to grab her arm before she could go over to her desk where her phone was. "No! Ms. Kawakami please don't!" I cried. The woman looked at me in surprise but she huffed. "Why not? Clearly your parents are hurting you." She said.

"I-it wouldn't do a-anything. I've tried, b-believe me I have, b-but I've just ended up b-back home. M-my parents have t-too much influence in my hometown. No one b-believed me back then, w-what makes you think that anything you can do will change it?" I asked. Kawakami of course had a rebuttal. "I'm an adult and a teacher, they'll listen to me." She said. I immediately shook my head. "N-no, what will happen is that s-some social worker will visit the house, either get bribed or sweet talked, a-and when I get back t-there will be hell to pay. A-and even if they do believe that I'm being abused t-they'll shove me right into the foster care system, a-and from what my friend Goro h-has told me that can be much worse." I said.

Kawakami looked at me in concern but I could tell she was listening. "Pl-please, don't tell anyone. I-I don't plan to go back, b-but I don't want to go into foster care." I pleaded. I was worried that I had done nothing to sway her when she sighed softly. "Fine, I wouldn't tell. But I want to help you so we will be talking about this more." She said. I sighed softly in relief and nodded, happy to agree to this if it meant that my secret would stay under wraps for longer. "Okay." I said to reaffirm my answer.

_ I am thou, thou art I _

_ Thou has acquired a new vow _

_ It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity _

_ With the birth of the _ ** _Temptress_ ** _ persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power. _

* * *

"So Kawakami interrogated you? Did you tell her?" Goro asked, laying on his couch upside down. Yusuke was in the kitchen, looking through the cabinets for a snack. Whenever I had a not great day I usually hung out with Goro at his place and since Yusuke moved in he was included in these hang out sessions but he never minded giving us a little privacy if we asked for it which made him a great roommate for Goro.

"I didn't have to, she figured it out herself without me saying anything." I said. Upon hearing that Goro straightened up. "Did she call the police?" He asked. I shook my head. "I managed to convince her not to but she insists that we'll be talking about it more." I said. Yusuke walks in the living room with some cookies on a plate which he sets on the table. "Have you considered staying with Sakura after your probation is over?" He asked.

Since Yusuke has moved in with Goro the apartment has looked much more lived in, the coffee table was covered in things such as papers, cups full of paint water, small canvases, and other such things. Quite a few of Goro's case files were scattered around and a cork board was on the wall where it was set up to seem like he was investigating the Phantom Thieves.

"Yeah, staying with Chef is an option." Morgana said, trotting up from where he was exploring.

I shrugged at Morgana's comment and rubbed my arm. "I don't know, he seems alright with me right now but I'm not sure." I said. Morgana shrugged as best as he could in his cat form and leaped onto the couch to join Goro. The brunet pet the cat who purred as Yusuke set up a canvas to paint on.

“I heard Shujin is going to have a field trip, do you know where you want to go?” Goro asked, obviously wanting to change the subject. I shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, I think the Tv station is an option so I might go for that.” I said. Yusuke looked at the both of us over his shoulder. “I kinda wish I could go but Kosei isn't holding a field trip anytime soon.” He said.

“The only reason you would want to go is because Ryuji would be there.” Morgana teased.Yusuke glared at the cat but made no attempt to deny it. “Shut it, what about your precious ‘Lady’ Ann?” The artist said. Morgana’s tail flicked as he smirked at Yusuke. “At least I’m obvious with how I feel about her, are you ever going to admit you have a bit of a crush on our blonde runner?” He said.

Goro of course came to the rescue. “Hey, leave Yusuke alone. Just because you have no shame doesn’t mean he should feel pressured to tell Ryuji how he feels.” He said, lightly bating Morgana on the head. Morgana glared at Goro but seemed to get his point and shut up about it. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, today was not my day.

* * *

“Ah, you’re back.” Sojiro usually greeted me like this so I was used to it. I shrugged as I adjusted my bag over my shoulder. “I w-went to visit Yusuke and Goro for a bit, wanted t-to clear my head.” I said. I began to walk up the stairs when I was stopped by something Sojiro said. “Kawakami called me earlier.”

I froze and turned back to look at him but the cafe owner was merely looking at his newspaper like he said nothing. I gulped and turned so I was facing him again. “W-what did s-she say?” I asked. Sojiro turned a page before looking at me. “She was concerned when you showed up in a long sleeved shirt. I admit it worried me too when I saw you wearing that, I don’t think I have ever seen your arms before. Is there something wrong with your arms?” He asked.

I gulped but decided to keep with the story I had told so far. “M-my arms just g-get cold easily. T-that’s all.” I said. Sojiro raised an eyebrow at me but when I didn’t say anything else he stood up and set his paper down. “Look, I know I haven't been exactly kind to you when you first came here but I’m your guardian. That means I do worry about your wellbeing, you can tell me anything.” He said.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to say, no adult has ever outright said that they cared about me and now two in one day were admitting that I could tell them about stuff and they’d help me. Kawakami was rather forceful in her help of me but Sojiro was offering it and not forcing me to tell the truth even though by the look on his face I knew he could tell I was lying. So I eventually looked at him and spoke in a mutter. “O-okay.”

_ I am thou, thou art I _

_ Thou has acquired a new vow _

_ It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity _

_ With the birth of the _ ** _Hierophant_ ** _ persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power. _

A small smile appeared on Sojiro’s face when I agreed and then he threw something at me. With my fast reflexes I managed to catch it in my hand, when I looked at what was in my hand it was obviously a key. When I looked at the cafe owner he merely smiled a kind smile. “It’s the cafe key, I figured that you’ve been here long enough that I can trust you with it. Plus with your schedule it’s honestly better for my health if I don’t wait for you all night. Just make sure you don’t stay up all night.” He said.

With that the man turned and left the cafe like he totally hasn’t turned my world upside down.

* * *

“Hey Morgana? Are adults usually like this?” I asked the cat. I was laying on my back on the bed, feet up through the ceiling with Morgana laying on them. From his high position Morgana looked down at me. “Of course, parents/guardians are supposed to care about their children/wards. And teachers are literally paid to not only teach but care about their students' wellbeing.” He said.

I looked at a wall as I considered that. “Then why do my parents hate me? Why did no one care for me in my hometown? Why?” I asked. Morgana frowned but nevertheless he answered. “Because unfortunately not everyone is a good person. Not all parents love their children, there are teachers that are just plain bullies, and there are unfortunately some corrupt police officers. Whenever we’re born we get dealt a hand, like a hand of cards. There is nothing you did wrong, you just got an unlucky hand.” He said.

I actually liked that analogy he used, it made me feel better. “Thanks Morgana, that made me feel better.” I said. The cat smiled at me and purred softly. “Well that was my intention, I’m glad it makes you feel better.” He said.

**[Magician Rank 2]**

* * *

I honestly was so bored as the tour guide for the Tv station was droning on about the most obvious things. These things I knew mostly because Goro told me. I yawned as the woman droned on making me wish we were somewhere else. Ryuji nudged me, silently telling me to at least act like I was paying attention.

I blinked, looking on as the woman who’s been acting as our tour guide seemed to be getting chewed out by her boss. I didn’t pay that much attention because a man approached Ann and started flirting with her. He must have felt Ryuji and my glare because he turned to us. “Oh, we have work for you guys too.” He said

So that was how me and Ryuji ended up wrestling with cables pretty much the rest of our trip. Once finished we met up with Ann and Mishima in the hall, I leaned against the wall and sighed. “Well that was horrible. We get off early so is there anything we can do?” I asked. Morgana pooped out of my bag and placed his paws on my shoulder. “Oh, can we go to that pancake looking place we passed on the way here? That looked fun!” He asked.

“Do you mean Dome Town? It’s a amusement park that also has some great food.” Ryuji said. At that moment Goro poked his head around the corner, having heard us talking clearly. “That does sound good but crowds.” He said. I shuttered at that. “Right, I don’t do great with those.” I said. Ann waved her hand at that. “Don’t worry about that, there wouldn’t be tons of people and they wouldn’t be brushing against you all the time so it should be fine.” She said. Goro joined us officially and stood next to me, giving me a small nudge. “That doesn’t sound too bad right? Who knows, you could have fun.” He said.

I rubbed my arm and looked at everyone, I had never been to an amusement park before so it would be a new experience for me. I sighed and looked at Morgana who looked at me with a smile. “It’s okay Akira, I’ll be with you the whole time. Even if you go on a rollercoaster I’ll be with you.” He said. I gave him a nervous smile and nodded. “Okay, that seems like fun. By the way Goro what are you doing here?” I asked. Goro shrugged and set his briefcase down. “I’m doing an interview tomorrow so I had to come for a meeting. I heard you guys talking and wanted to check on you guys.” He said.

“Well some creepy dude hit on Ann, not sure what Mishima did. And Akira and I have spent most of this trip wrestling with cables.” Ryuji said. Goro raised an eyebrow but his phone beeped and he frowned. “I have to go, see you guys later. Telling me how everything went okay?” He asked. Once everyone nodded he left for the meeting he would be attending.

* * *

“That was actually really fun, Mona are you okay?” I asked, still giggling from the joy I just felt. In my bag Morgana was laying on his back looking dizzy. “I’m fine, you’re happy which makes it worth it.” He said. Ryuji reached into my bag and rubbed Morgana’s belly, making the cat giggle and bat at Ryuji’s hand. Once Morgana was perked up Ryuji removed his hand from my bag.

“Are you feeling better now?” Ryuji asked. Morgana popped his head out of my bag and nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I really need that.” He said. Mishima hadn’t gotten on the rollercoaster with us but he must have seen us and came over with a stuffed cat in his hands. “Hey Akira, look what I won!” He said. I laughed and took the cat from him. “It’s really cute.” I said. Mishima smiled at me. “Well good, I won it for you since you’ve never really had one. Just something to put in your room.” He said.

I smiled happily at that and tucked the stuffed animal into my bag which Morgana snuggled up against. “We can put it on your bed, don’t you think that would be nice Akira?” He asked. I nodded, petting Morgana. “Yeah, that would be great.” I said. Ann noticed something that caught her attention and led the way over to a game, it was one of those dart games where you would pop the balloons, definitely something Goro wouldn’t like. Ann gestured to the prizes hanging around the booth looking at me. “Which one do you want? I’m getting you something too while we’re here of course.” She said. 

I looked at all the toys feeling slightly embarrassed right now but I also knew they weren’t going to judge me for anything so I pointed at the dog. Ann nodded and got to work. A lot of balloons popping later we walked away with the stuffed dog in my bag next to the stuffed cat and Morgana. Ryuji handed me some cotton candy as well as passing out the rest to the others. I saw Yusuke sneaking up behind him but I didn’t say anything and took a bite of the cotton candy.

Reaching out Yusuke touched Ryuji’s shoulder who jumped and spun around. Everyone laughed as Yusuke chuckled, Ryuji blushed harshly as he rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Did you know we were here?” He asked. Yusuke nodded. “Yeah, Goro told me that you all came here after your trip was over so I decided to come meet you since he was still busy. I also got this on the way for Ryuji since it reminds me of him.” He said, holding up a shiba inu plushie dressed like a pirate.

“Aw, isn’t that cute RyRy?” I asked, nudging Ryuji. Our blonde runner blushed but took the toy and looked at me. “RyRy?” He asked. I nodded, smiling still. “Yeah, what’s the matter? Do you not like it?” I asked, tilting my head. Ryuji shook his head right away. “No, I like it. Was just surprised you gave me a nickname.” He said. I smiled and bumped Ryuji’s shoulder happily. “Well ever since we’ve been doing this I’ve gotten used to thinking of you guys as my friends.” I said.

There was a collective ‘aw’ and I was crushed in a group hug making me laugh and hug everyone back. Morgana poked his head out of my bag and rubbed against me as well. “It’s good to see you’re getting comfortable with everyone.” He said. I chuckled at everyone as we finally untangled from each other and looked around the park to see if anyone was staring, I was glad to see there weren't any. “I’m so glad to have friends like you.” I said.

“Having you as a friend is a true treat Akira and anyone who doesn’t think that is dead wrong.” Ann said. 

“That’s right! You’re an amazing friend Akira!” Mishima said.

“I have to agree, since meeting you Akira my life has improved loads.” Yusuke said.

To my surprise Goro appeared right then, wrapping his arms around me with a smile on his face. “Meeting you was the best thing in my life Akira. No matter what others say you’re an amazing person Aki. Even if the world was ending I’d stand by you.” He said. I couldn’t help but smile, happy wasn’t even the right word to use to describe the feelings I was having right now.

I didn’t expect to start crying and when I did I found myself in the center of another group hug, I would have to get used to this kind of treatment.

**[Justice rank 4]**

**[Chariot rank 2]**

**[Lovers rank 2]**

**[Moon rank 2]**

**[Emperor arcane gained]**

**[Magician rank 3]**

* * *

“Make sure to not over grind those beans kid, don’t want to waste good product.” Sojiro said jokingly. I nodded, watching the beans carefully. “I know, you’ve told me not to do it hundreds of times. I’m pretty sure they’re done.” I said, handing the ground beans to Sojiro. The man looked at the beans and nodded. “Yup, good job kid. Pretty soon you’ll be making coffee better than me.” He said, reaching up to ruffle my hair. I smiled at Sojiro but looked away after a bit. “M-maybe but it wouldn’t be the same as yours.” I said.

Sojiro nodded and set down a plate of curry. “How was the field trip to the Tv station?” He asked. Morgana walked across the counter and meowed at him as I sat down. “Boring honestly, I knew most of the things already and I’m pretty sure everyone else did too because they were the most basic things.” I said. 

“Really? Don’t you have to go back tomorrow?” Sojiro asked. I nodded. “We’re going to be in the crowd for an interview that Goro is doing. He’s the detective prince after all and stuff.” I said. Sojiro hummed as he set down the finished coffee. “How did you two meet anyways?” He asked. I honestly wasn’t sure what to say since the story involved my dad breaking my arm, seemingly to sense my discomfort he raised his hands. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Since you’re all set here I’m gonna go home and check on Futaba.” He said.

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Who’s Futaba?” I asked. Sojiro looked at me and gave me a smirk. “Hm, maybe I’ll tell you another day kid.” He said. I laughed at that answer, feeling so comfortable. “Fair, s-see you tomorrow S-Sojiro-san.” I said. Sojiro smiled, ruffling my hair as he walked to the door. “See you tomorrow kid.” He said.

As Sojiro left Morgana looked at me. “You’ve certainly gotten more comfortable around chef since you’ve been staying here.” He said. I nodded, understanding what he was saying. “Yeah, I guess I have.” I said.

* * *

“Isn’t it weird to be sitting in the crowd while Goro is being interviewed?” Ryuji asked. I shrugged, looking at the stage. “I’ve gotten used to watching them on Tv, I’ve never been in the crowd before.” I said. Ann twirled her hair around her finger as she looked out in the crowd. “How does he do this? I would be sweating buckets if I was up there.” She said. 

“Goro says he’s gotten used to being up there.” I said with a shrugged. We fell silent as the director spoke, saying that we would soon be live. Looking at where Goro came out I could tell by the look in his eyes he was tired but as his eyes drifted the crowd he spotted us and they began to smile. Sitting down all prim and proper Ryuji snickered. “That’s not how he sits when _ Grimm _ or _ Fridge _ is on.” He whispered. 

That was true, when he’s watching shows Goro leans towards the Tv so he can make sure he sees everything. He likes seeing every detail he can so he can better understand what’s going on in the show and the story it’s telling. Goro has always liked stories because they allow him to get lost in another world, he can be someone different for a time and he enjoyed it. Often the best gift to give him was a book, Goro would be happy for days reading and rereading that book.

I tuned back in when I heard the host talk about the Phantom Thieves, of course Goro was officially part of the investigation team so they would naturally ask about that. We all kinda agreed that if Goro was asked in an interview about the Phantom Thieves he had to act skeptical about their existence and all that stuff. It was to help keep his image and we would fly under the radar for a little while longer which would help us greatly. I watched as one of the hosts stood up and started looking around for someone to question.

I worried softly that they would pick me as I looked rather meek and scared. But to my surprise they turned to Ryuji sitting next to me. I breathed out in silent relief that the cameras wouldn’t be on me and looked at Ryuji, hoping he wouldn’t give away anything. The host was focused completely on Ryuji and didn’t notice me. “What’s your option on the Phantom Thieves?” She asked, pointing the mic at Ryuji. Looking at me quickly for permission he looked at her and answered. 

“Honestly they’re doing more than the police right now so I respect them.” He said. Goro looked at Ryuji, clearly following the unspoken script. “I’m surprised, what if the Phantom Thieves targeted the person sitting next to you?” He asked. Ryuji shrugged. “Then there was a reason for them to, I doubt they would do it without a reason.” He said. A little back and forth developed and I face palmed, their close relationship was slipping into the show but I seriously hoped that no one would pick up on it.

When the host finally stopped the two from continuing their debat and the show ended along with our trip I was so glad no one knew Goro and Ryuji were friends besides us. We met up near the exit, Ann pulled out her phone when it buzzed and then looked at us. “Yusuke is waiting outside for us, turns out Kosei let out early today.” She said. Ryuji immediately stood up from crouching next to the wall. “I’ll go find him and make sure he’s alright. Met you guys outside.” He said before dashing out, even though he couldn’t run like he used to, the blonde was still pretty fast.

We all giggled at how eager Ryuji was to see Yusuke, Mishima turned to us after he recovered. “I bet they’ll get together after our next mission.” He said. I shook my head. “I give them two missions at the least. The power of denial is very strong.” I said. Ann was about the rebuff when Goro came up. “I’d say two missions as well but they tell us after the three.” He said. I smiled at Goro for backing me up on this as our two friends huffed. Ann turned towards the door. “Let’s meet up with Yusuke and Ryuji outside.” She said, changing the subject.

I looked at Goro who merely smiled at me and we followed the others out, snickering all the way. Before we got out Morgana popped his head out of my bag. “I bet even if they didn’t say anything you would be able to tell they were dating.” He said. I nodded, as we approached I noticed that the two of them were looking away from each other, blushing and clearly awkward. I chuckled upon seeing this. “They might get together soon then we thought.” I whispered to Morgana as we approached. The cat giggled as he ducked back into my bag as we approached our friends.

* * *

_ Makoto’s POV _

Watching as Goro and Akira hung out with their friends filled me with jealousy, why couldn’t I have friends like that? I sighed but then something hit me, maybe I could earn their trust. But I have to admit that my plan was a little out there, even if they weren’t the Phantom Thieves I’m sure they would respect my decision. Now to just put it into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I'm so sorry for not posting for a while but again things happened. The chapters will be posted less often. If you liked this chapter how about leaving a kudos or comment? They really help me get the motivation to write. Until next time, bye!


	19. Sense of justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!!!! So sorry about taking forever to get this chapter out but there has been a lot of stuff going on in my life, first thing was this Covid thing and then... well for now all I'm saying is that I did have to attend a funeral. Hope you enjoy this.

_ Akira’s POV _

I felt uncomfortable as I sat in class, Kawakami looking at me every now and then with a pitying look. I’m not completely made of glass and didn’t like it when people treated me like I was. I was glad Kawakami cared about me enough to keep my secret for now. Every Saturday she would insist that I stay back and talk about my parents, I mostly avoided talking about a lot of the abuse but there have been times I wasn’t able to wiggle why way out of telling her about certain injuries.

She was mostly concerned with broken bones, injuries resulting in scars, and any abuse that was witnessed by Goro or anyone else. My parents never hit me in front of anyone and Goro only ever found out after and often took me to the clinic after. No one that has truly cared about me has ever witnessed the beatings done to me at the hands of my parents. I looked up when I heard the bell ring, glad to finally get way from the subtle attention Kawakami was giving me.

I stood up and helped Morgana climb into my bag, he naturally curled up inside my bag and looked around. “Let’s go home, maybe have a meeting with the others. It’s been a while since we had a target. I wonder if Goro has found anything.” He said. I shrugged, knowing that Goro was searching through police records for our next target. Kamoshida and Madarame felt almost like practice considering all the bad people in the world. Goro was looking for anyone who had clearly got away with their crimes and might have twisted desires for us to target.

As I was getting ready to leave the class room Kawakami approached me. “W-what is it s-sensei?” I asked. Kawakami looked at the door before looking at me. “Niijima asked for your assistance in filling out a report of a stolen ring, why I don’t know. Point is she’s waiting for you in the student council's office on the third floor.” She said. This made me pause, I heard most of the chatter around school as did Ryuji and I hadn’t heard anything about a stolen ring. I pulled out my phone to text Ryuji.

**Cat boy:** Hey Ryuji, have you heard anything around school about a stolen ring?

**Pirate Shiba:** nope, not a thing. Y?

**Cat boy:** Niijima asked me to help with report about a stolen ring, tell everyone that I went to the student council office if I’m not heard from in two hours.

**Pirate Shiba:** Aye

With that I put my phone away and headed for the third floor. Before entering the student council room I looked at Morgana. “What do you think she wants?” I asked. Morgana frowned and shrugged as best as he could. “No idea, guess we’ll just have to find out.” He said. I sighed and pushed the door open, sure enough the third year was waiting for me. She perked up when she saw me. “Kurusu-kun! Thank you for coming so quickly. Well, for coming at all. I honestly feared you wouldn’t.” She said, almost rambling. 

I raised my eyebrow at this, the normally put together girl was acting kinda nervous, why was this? Niijima seemed to notice my observations and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. “Sorry, I shouldn’t ramble. I asked you to come here for a reason after all. Please, sit.” She said. I nodded and sat down at the table set up in the room as she went over to the filing cabinet. I watched as she pulled out several files and then walked over to the table with them.

I thought they might be files on the Phantom Thieves and she was about the confront me. Niijima set the files down in front of me but as she did so she also pulled out a piece of notebook paper and set it down on top, what was written on it made me raise an eyebrow.

** _I know you’re either a member of the Phantom Thieves or know how to get in contact with them. I want you to consider the information inside these files because they contain information about a mafia boss who is extorting students here. I believe the Phantom Thieves will be very interested in this information._ **

I looked at Niijima who had merely turned back to the cabinet and closed the drawer. “D-do you really e-expect me to trust you?” I asked. Niijima shrugged, not looking at me. “I know you don’t trust easily. You can take those files, no one will stop you. You know how to get in contact with me.” She said. I looked at her as I stood up but then glanced down at the files, Morgana did too before turning to me. “We should take them, just in case she’s telling the truth.” He said.

I nodded and reached down and gathered up the files. Niijima didn’t try to stop me as I gathered up the files and I left the room without any problems. Outside the school Ryuji, Ann, and Mishima were waiting for me. Ryuji noticed the files in my arms right away. “What the hell happened in there?” He asked. I looked at him before glancing at the files in my arms before turning to my friends. “I honestly don’t know what to make of it myself. But the point is we need to look at these files.” I said.

* * *

“Niijima gave this to you? Did she say why?” Goro asked. I shook my head. “She just said to consider the information inside these files.” I said. He sighed and picked up one of the files, I had called the others to the Leblanc attic so we could review the information. No one of course trusted this but we couldn’t ignore it since it was literally just handed to me and told indirectly that it was for the Phantom Thieves. Honestly there was so many possibilities on what could be in these files so we all kinda wanted to take a peek at them to figure out what we had.

Ryuji lifted one up with his pencil and began looking for funny business. After a bit he huffed and let it fall down. “I don’t see any wires that might be bombs. If there’s anything else I haven’t seen it.” He said. Ann sighed and reached down, carefully opening a file. It didn’t explode in our faces luckily and everyone sighed in relief. I looked at the pages inside and saw hand written notes recording student interviews, reading through it I learned exactly what Niijima wanted me to see.

“Some mob boss is extorting students at Shujin, Niijima thinks there might be others at other schools.” I said. Goro frowned and looked through the material, clearly unhappy. “She’s not sure of the boss’s name, just that he’s bad news.” He said. I looked at some of the photos in the file and saw several students from Shujin, I frowned and tapped my chin and tried to think about what could we do to figure this out. “At least we know who to talk to, but how did these people fall victim to this guy?” I asked. 

Ryuji looked through the files but then glanced up. “I know one of these guys, Iida. He’s recently started spending a lot of money, I guess that’s the extortion. I heard him talking about this really easy part time job that pays really well but he never mentioned what he had to do.” He said. I looked at Goro and he nodded. “That sounds like a perfect set up for blackmail. Carrying drugs or something like that and then blackmailing them so they’ll pay up. I’ve heard of a mafia boss who’s doing this but it’s not my case so I don’t know any of the details. I can try to get ahold of the files at work but I can’t guarantee anything.” He said.

Yusuke spun his pencil around in his hand before pulling out a business card. “A reporter has been recently harassing me about Madarame, maybe she can tell me something. I can set up a meet, do you want to come too Akira?” He asked. I nodded and looked at the remaining three. “Ryuji try to shake something out of Iida about where he was approached for this job. Ann I want you and Mishima to watch Niijima-senpie, see if you catch her talking to someone. I want to know why she decided to approach us about this.” I said. Ryuji and Ann nodded, Mishima giving me a sulut. 

I then looked at my best friend. “Goro, try to at least peek at those files. If we really are dealing with the same person we’ll probably need to know where the hideout is for future reference. Yusuke and I will try to talk to this reporter and see what she knows about the matter, if she can at least give us a name we’ll be in business.” I said. Morgana looked at me. “I guess I’ll be moral support for the meeting with the reporter?” He asked. I nodded. “I’d prefer that.” I said. Morgana nodded and relaxed on my shoulders, pretty chill with having a rather easy job. 

* * *

_ Ann’s POV _

Knowing what Miss Prez was up to was rather easy, since she had started standing outside to greet students Mishima had no trouble slipping a bug on her without looking suspicious. I had long hair so today I wore it down so I could wear the listening device without anyone noticing it since Mishima himself couldn’t. As I listened to the stuff coming through the bug I didn’t really hear anything important until lunch hit, that’s when I heard Principal  Kobayakawa talking.

** _“How’s your investigation into the Phantom Thieves going Miss Niijima?”_ ** He asked. I frowned as I realized Niijima was probably being told to investigate the Phantom Thieves for a letter of recommendation.

_ “Honestly I’m not seeing much evidence that Kurusu-kun is involved. He’s a very shy and cautious person so I doubt he would get involved in something as dangerous as the Phantom Thieves. He spends most of his days hanging out with his friends and he helps out at his guardian’s cafe when asked. Why are you so focused on him?” _ I heard Niijima ask.

** _“A boy like that has to be involved, look harder. I’m sure he’s up to something while you’re not looking.”_ ** Kobayakawa said. I heard Niijima exit the office and that’s when I heard her talking to herself.  _ “You only think that because of his criminal record. You don’t know him and haven’t met him. Even is Kurusu-kun is involved I bet he has a good reason for it, they haven’t killed anyone.” _ She said.

I frowned and pulled out my phone to text Mishima.

**Eye of the tiger:** looks like Kobayakawa thinks Akira is part of the phantom thieves and is having Niijima investigate. 

**The IT guy:** Is it possible he is doing it because of Akira’s criminal record?

**Eye of the tiger:** oh hell yes, it’s probably the only reason he’s having Niijima investigate him.

**The IT guy:** Think we can convince Akira to check for a Palace later? You know, after the mafia boss?

**Eye of the tiger:** we’ll see what he has to say after this.

**The IT guy:** Roger that.

* * *

_ Ryui’s POV _

I saw Iida and practically pounced on him, I knew I could be a hot head and a tad intimidating so I was going to use that to my advantage. I pulled Iida into a storage closet that I had been laying in wait since class let out, he of course tried to jerk his arm out of my grip and leave but I had a tight hold on it. “Hey man, heard about that part time job you got. How did you hear about it?” I asked. He tried to cross his arms but I still had his other so it looked odd. “Why should I tell you? Aren’t you in enough trouble? You wouldn’t want this part time job.” He said.

I, of course, just gave him a wide shark like smile. “I know, I just need to know how you got it. Got it? In cause you’re worried I wouldn’t leak your name so just spill, okay?” I said. Iida looked at me strangely and raised an eyebrow. “Why do you even want to know?” He asked. I just smiled. “Let’s just say you don’t have to worry about it, so what’s the deal yeah?” I asked. Finally Iida sighed and looked at me. “Look, I was in Shibuya on central street when this guy approached me and asked if I wanted an easy part time job. With the pay he was offering I took it, got in over my head.” He said.

I smiled and released his arm. “Thanks man.” I said. With that I left the closet and pulled out my phone.

* * *

_ Goro’s POV _

**Pirate Boi: ** look for anything in Shibuya Crow, that’s where Iida says he was approached.

I smiled as I checked my phone, Ryuji was always there making my job easier. I had slipped into the file room on my break and was now searching through extortion cases for possible leads. Now that I had a location it would make it easier to search through the files. Flipping through the files I grabbed one and flipped it open, sure enough the location was Shibuya so I looked at the list of suspects, lucky for me there was only one name on it. I pulled out my notebook and jolted down the name, Junya Kaneshiro.

I put the file back after jolting down any information the police had on him and put my notebook back in my jacket. I closed the cabinet and looked at the clock, I had some time before I was expected back from my break, long enough to know that I had time to get back to my desk and Sae-san be none the wiser. I trotted out of the file room and closed the door, starting to walk down the hall towards where my desk was. However as I turned the corner I almost ran head first into Sae-san, I backpedaled a bit to avoid of collision. “Sae-san! What are you doing here?” I asked.

Sae-san looked at me with a smile, looking tired. “I was going to grab a case file that I’m working on. I’ve actually never seen you around here to be honest.” She said.  _ ‘Shit, I’ve gotta tell her something.” _ I thought. I brushed some of my hair behind my ear and looked at her. “I got bored on my break so I decided to walk around a bit. Feeling restless is all.” I said. Sae-san looked at me and nodded. “That makes sense, you are confined to a desk most of the day.” She said. I smiled at her and walked around her. “Well my break is almost over so I’m gonna get back to work, see you later!” I said.

I walked away, feeling like I had just escaped a lion’s den. Of course I knew Sae-san was a smart woman and if she looked at the security tapes she would see me entering the file room and then coming out near the time she ran into me. I sighed as I relaxed against my chair and looked at my computer, knowing I had a close call. I stretched out my leg and my pants leg pulled up to reveal the star anklet I wore. It reminded me exactly why I was doing this, I was reminded each time I saw Akira’s star ring or him wearing his butterfly hoodie. I was reminded each time I saw the headphones around Ryuji’s neck or his phone case, Ann’s star earring or her butterfly choker, Mishima’s pencil case or his wristband. And of course most recently with Yusuke.

* * *

_ “Surprise!”  _

_ Yusuke blinked at us as we stood in the apartment, holding a box and several baked goods spread across the counter. He looked around at all of us and chuckled. “What is this?” He asked. Akira smiled brightly as Ryuji walked up to Yusuke and grabbed his arm. “Well we figured that we should throw a party, as celebration for you officially joining the Phantom Thieves.” He said. Yusuke blinked but smiled, happiness clear on his face. “Thank you.” He said. _

_ Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, blushing lightly. “It’s nothing, it was Akira’s idea to begin with.” He said. Akira gave me a sly look with a small smirk. We all knew it was really Ryuji that suggested we throw Yusuke a party since while he was staying the night at his place he mentioned to Ryuji that he had never had a birthday party. But we all knew he wasn’t going to mention it so I walked over and held out to box in my hands. “Open it.” I said. _

_ Yusuke took the box and opened it, seeing the objects right away and pulling them out, the first was a pair of tennis shoes that had stars covering them, the other was a leather book cover decorated in butterflies. I clasped my hands behind my back and smiled at him. “Stars and butterflies are our unofficial symbols so it only seemed right we get you something that had them.” I said. I was surprised when Yusuke set both carefully down and then crushed me in a hug. I smiled and hugged him back, feeling like I did the right thing in giving them to him now. _

* * *

Yusuke never left home without his sketchbook which now had the book cover on it and he wore his star tennis shoes almost every day, treating them with care but then again they were shoes and were meant to be worn. I was used to being alone for most of my life until I met Akira at the park that day. I remember looking at him that day and getting the feeling that I had to help the sad looking boy so I walked over to him. I never would have guessed that what I did that day would lead me to where I am today with a group of wonderful friends and a wonderful best friend who cares about me very much.

I looked at my phone and saw a text from Niijima waiting for me. 

**Niijima junior: ** Hey Akechi, can we talk about something?

I frowned but decided that since she had no evidence on me to keep my cover.

**Akechi:** Yeah, sure. What is it?

**Niijima junior:** Have you ever thought that Kurusu-kun might be a member of the Phantom Thieves?

**Akechi:** Are you accusing him?

**Niijima junior:** No, just asking if you noticed anything is all.

**Akechi:** Niijima you don’t know Aki like I do. He can barely look most adults in the eye what makes you think he could be a Phantom Thief?

**Niijima junior:** Thank you

**Akechi:** ???

**Akechi:** For what??

However Niijima didn’t respond so I was left very confused and set the phone down. “Well that was odd.” I muttered to myself.  **‘Something here just isn’t adding up, why did she ask that?’** Loki said, looking at my phone. I shrugged.  _ ‘I don’t know, but it almost seems like she was looking for a reason that Akira couldn’t be a Phantom Thief.’ _ I told him. Loki made a sound and looked around.  **‘We should ask her about that the next time we see her.’** He said. 

_ ‘Yeah, we should ask her about that.’ _ I said. 

* * *

I got my chance later that day at cram school when I saw her walking the halls. I rushed over to her and grabbed her wrist, when she turned to look at me she seemed surprised. “Can we talk? About the messages you sent me earlier?” I asked. Niijima sighed and turned to me, holding a book to her chest. “Look, principal Kobawaka approached me and told me to look into the Phantom Thieves. He insisted that I take a good look at Kurusu-kun because he thought he was involved.” She said.

“But he’s not! I know my best friend, if Aki could stand up to adults on his own then he probably wouldn’t be here right now. Aki is too shy and nervous to do something like that.” I whispered to her. Niijima nodded, looking at me. “I know that now, you would testify to that if you had to right?” She asked. I nodded. “Of course, him being falsely accused is what got him here in the first place. I wouldn’t let that happen again.” I said. Niijima raised her eyebrow at that. “Falsely accused?” She asked. I nodded. 

“I’m sure you know what the story everyone believes but it’s the wrong one. You see Akira was walking home that night and heard a woman screaming and a man, from what Akira told me it sounded verbally abusive. He went over there and found a man trying to force a woman into a car, he figured out what was happening and tried to intven. The man pushed him and he fell to the ground, that was the first and only time I’ve known Akira to act on impulse. He got back up and got between the man and woman and shoved the man, he was drunk so he stumbled and hit his head. He was some kind of rich man because he sued Akira, and when the police arrived they believed him over Akira.” I explained. 

Niijima immediately frowned. “Didn’t he get hurt too? Why didn’t they believe him?” She asked. I shook my head. “It was just a bruise that had already started to fade by the time the trial rolled around. Also most people in the town believe Akira to be a constant liar so even if he had said something no one would believe him.” I said. Niijima frowned at that. “You make it sound like he didn’t take the stand in his own defense.” She said. I shook my head. “He didn’t, he was too terrified to even speak at the time so how could he take the stand?” I said. 

Niijima looked mad at this point. “Did Akira ever say who the man was?” She asked. I was surprised that she had used but answered her question. “He told me, but he made me promise that if the trial went wrong that I wouldn’t say anything. He holds too much power so we can’t touch him. So don’t even try going after him yourself.” I said. Niijima frowned but as I turned to walk away I glanced back to look at her. “And don’t bother looking into the records, his name was kept out of it. I know, I’ve checked.” I said. With that I left, going to class and hoping Niijima wouldn’t try to do anything stupid. 

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“So this is where she asked to meet?” I asked, looking at Yusuke. He nodded, looking at what we stood in front of. We had came to the famous Red light district and were standing outside a bar called CrossRoads bar. Naturally we had dressed in normal clothes, I had thrown on my butterfly hoodie over my shirt because the only shirt I had that was clean happened to be short sleeved one, I had thrown a load into the laundry before leaving with Yusuke so I could have something to wear later. Morgana looked at the bar and then looked at the two of us. “Should we really be here?” He asked. 

“I tried to offer a different location but she refused, not much I can do about that.” Yusuke said. I frowned and sighed, resigning myself to my fate. “Alright then, let’s go in. The sooner we can ask her what she knows the sooner we can get out of here.” I said. Yusuke nodded, looking at the building. “Agreed, I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to.” He said. Together we walked into the bar, I spotted the bartender immediately and felt the urge to hide behind Yusuke when she looked over at us and gave us a glare. I ended up giving into that urge and hid behind Yusuke.

The woman sitting at the counter immediately looked over and waved at us with a wide smile. “There you are! It’s okay Lola-chan, their with me.” She said. Lola-chan huffed and turned away form us to look at the woman. “What kind of case is this Ohya?” She asked. Ohya just stood up and walked over to us, taking more notice in Yusuke than me. When she got close I knew right away she was drunk. “Let’s go talk in the back room, more private there.” She said.

I looked at Yusuke and he glanced at me. “She’s plastered! Can we really expect her to tell us anything?” I asked. Yusuke shrugged and looked at Ohya as she went over to a curtained off area. “Who knows, maybe she’ll tell us more this way. Let’s just try to make the most of this okay?” He asked. I grumbled and looked at Morgana. “I hate drunk people, they’re always so unpredictable. It’s hard to tell what they’ll do.” I said. Yusuke touched my wrist and I looked at him, he was giving me a smile. “You can sit on the outside, that way you can leave if you get too uncomfortable. Okay?” He asked. I smiled and nodded. “Okay, yeah. I can work with that.” I said.

Yusuke nodded and we walked into the back with Ohya, like he said Yusuke allowed me to sit on the outside so I could get up and leave if I wanted. However this seemed to put me in Ohya’s sights. She turned to me with a smile and I was increasingly aware of just how drunk she was. “Hi there! I’m Ichiko Ohya, what’s your name?” She asked. I curled in on myself but felt Yusuke’s leg nudge mine, reminding me he was there and it was okay. I glanced at her and finally found my words. “A-Akira K-Kurusu.” I managed. She looked at me but then Yusuke spoke up. “Miss Ohya, about what we talked about earlier?” He asked. She seemed to remember what we were doing here in the first place and she nodded. “Right, I’m not sure why you want this information but again you did promise information about the Phantom Thieves so I’ll let it drop.” She said.

I looked at Yusuke and Morgana himself meowed but Yusuke just nodded. “Yes, I remember the agreement, so the name?” He asked. Ohya nodded and took her whiskey glass, taking a drink before setting it down. “You’re probably looking for Junya Kaneshiro.” She said. Yusuke smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” He said. Ohya nodded and then looked at me. “You seem like an interesting kid, can I have your number so we can chat? I’m always on the hunt for a new story and something tells me you hear a lot of chatter.” She said. I glanced at Yusuke and he gave me a gentle smile, despite how uncomfortable I am around drunks I did realize this was a smart woman. So I looked at her. “O-okay, only a-as long as y-you don’t call m-me or t-text me when y-you’re drunk. Drunk p-people make me u-uncomfortable.” I said.

Ohya smiled and nodded. “It’s a deal then!” She said. When we left the bar I had one more contact on my phone and felt rather uncomfortable but a bit better with the support Yusuke was giving me. 

**[Devil Arcana gained]**

**[Emperor rank 2]**

As we walked down the street Yusuke seemed to notice something and touched my wrist and gestured over to a table set up in the street with a single woman sitting behind it. She had really long blonde hair and looked kinda like a fortune teller. I looked at Yusuke and he smiled at me softly. “Have you ever had your fortune told?” He asked. I shook my head. “That kind of thing has never interested me, besides what could they tell me that I didn’t already know? My life sucks and I’m well aware of it, that’s probably all they would tell me.” I said. Yusuke looked at the table and then looked back at me. “It never hurts to see what they have to say, who knows. They might tell you something good.” He said.

I looked at Yusuke but then I felt Morgana’s paw on my shoulder so I looked at the cat. “You should give it a try, it never hurt right? Besides it could be fun.” He said. I looked at the woman but thought that she didn’t look dangerous so I decided I would be safe and looked at Yusuke. “O-okay, let’s do it.” I said. So the two of us walked over to her, the woman took notice of us and looked at us with a smile. “Hello there, have you come to get your fortunes told?” She asked.

Yusuke gestured to the seat in font of the table and I sat down as Yusuke looked at her. “Not me, just my friend here.” He said. She nodded and then looked at me with a smile. “May I see your palm?” She asked. I nodded and held out my hand, as she reached for my hand I saw that her eyes caught sight of and lingered on the scar on the back of my hand. I gave her a nervous smile and she smiled back, taking my hand and looking at my palm. After a moment she let go of my hand and reached for her tarot card deck. 

I tilted my head as I watched her spread out some cards on the table. She flips over the middle card and I saw it was the Fool arcana, aka my arcana. She then flipped over the three cards to the left of the Fool. They were the four of wands reversed, seven of wands reversed, and the Queen of cups reversed. The fortune teller looks at me in concern. “You’ve been mistreated you’re whole life, this has destroyed your self confidence and you distrust everyone you meet.” She said. 

I knew right away that this was true but how in the world she knew this was beyond me. She then flipped over the other three cards that are on the other side of the Fool to reveal the Hierophant, Death, and Temperance. But then I watch in surprise as she pushes the Temperance and Death to the side to reveal Justice and Judgement that had been resting underneath. The fortune teller now looks at me with a smile. “I think this is the most positive reading I’ve had in a while, fear not. For you will be saved from your torment, from one you expect but also by four others you do not.” She said. I looked at her and did feel better, she said this was a positive reading after all. “O-okay, thanks.” I said.

She stuck out her hand as I got up. “Chihaya Mifune dear. Come see me any time you want a reading done.” She said. I nodded and shook Mifune’s hand. “A-Akira Kurusu.” I said. With that I left with Yusuke and Morgana, both smiling at me. Morgana was practically laying on my shoulder as he looked at me. “See Akira? That wasn’t so bad, she even said that your future is bright!” He said.

I nodded and looked back at Mifune, she already seemed to have another customer. I watched her pull something out and show it to them, it looked like a rock of some kind, I tilted my head at this but decided I would ask Mifune about it the next time I saw her.

_ I am thou, thou art I _

_ Thou has acquired a new vow _

_ It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall  _ _ breaketh thy chains of  _ _ captivity _

_ With the birth of the  _ ** _Fortune _ ** _ Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power. _

I hummed and looked at the sky.  _ ‘Fortune huh? That seems appropriate for Mifune-chan don’t you think?’ _ I asked, looking at Arsene as he fluttered beside me. My persona hummed but nodded his head.  **‘Yes, Fortune is very appropriate for her, when do you think we can visit her again?’** He asked. I shrugged.  _ ‘Not sure, we’ll see.’ _ I told him.

* * *

_ ~group chat: _ ** _ The Phantom Theives of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

**Joker:** Alright, where should we meet? Turns out Leblanc is going to be very busy tomorrow and Sojiro has kindly asked me to hang out somewhere else after school so anyone got any suggestions?

**Panther:** Karaoke, we can literally pay for privaty there.

**Fox:** That sounds like a great idea.

**Skull:** R we expected to sing??

**Panther:** Nah, we just need a place to talk where no one can over hear us, karaoke is the perfect place. Most people there are too busy singing badly to overhear the guys planning a robbery in the other room.

**Crow:** she actually makes a good point. I once me and Sae-san had a heated argument in one of those rooms and no one noticed ever though there were loads of people in the other room. perfect place for a Phantom Thieves meeting.

**Admin:** Hey guys what would we do if someone asks if we are the Phantom Thieves? This has just now accrued to me but we should have a cover story.

**Joker:** Yeah, we should have a story in case someone asks.

**Skull:** I have an idea, give me some time and I’ll let u know what I’ve got.

**Crow: ** so we’re meeting at Karaoke tomorrow?

**Joker:** Yeah lets do it there.

**Admin:** Roger that.

* * *

_ “So how am I doing so far?” I asked, balancing on the high wire, Caroline on the other side. She’s smiling at me as I balance. “Very well! I’m honestly a little surprised about how much progress you’ve made so far.” She said. I smiled as I made it to the other side of the room and sat down in front of my attendant. “I do have to ask how do we free the real Igor and give the fake one the boot.” I said. Caroline sighed and shrugged. “Honestly inmate I’m not too sure myself but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” She said. I shrugged and looked at her. “So we’re winging it? Not any different from what we have been doing now.” I said. Caroline chuckled and I looked at her, amusement sparkling in her golden eye. _

** _[Strength rank 2]_ **

* * *

After ordering our drinks and sitting down everyone took out their notes of what they’ve been working on. Well, I’m pretty sure Mishima handled the note taking for his and Ann’s assignment but I don’t blame Ann for not taking notes because she honestly isn’t the best at note taking. Everyone looked at me so I looked at Ryuji first. “Okay, what did Iida tell you?” I asked. Ryuji smiled and straightened up. “Well after some talking I managed to get Iida to tell me where he was approached by the mafia. In Shibuya on center street.” He said.

Goro lifted up his notebook as Ryuji finished. “With Ryuji’s information I was able to narrow the list of extortions down to ones that happened in Shibuya and got a solid name and some other information.” He said. I then looked at Ann and Mishima. “What did you guys learn?” I asked. Ann looked at Mishima and the two then looked at me. “Well at lunch we heard her talking with principal Kobayakawa, turns out he’s asking her to look into the Phantom Thieves and is very focused on you Akira. We think it’s because of your record but we heard her actually trying to defend you and say that there is no way you could be involved in the Phantom Thieves and he just dismissed her.” Ann said.

Mishima nodded and showed us his notebook. “I transcribed the conversation using the recording and it sure does look like she’s trying to defend you.” He said. I glanced over the conversation and did notice that Niijima did appear to be trying to defend my innocence to Kobayakawa but was unsuccessful in that regard. I nodded and then looked at Yusuke who nodded and pulled out his notebook. “We were able to meet with the reporter and she gave us a name, if we’re on the right track then the name Goro has and the one we have should be the same.” He said. Goro nodded and opened his notebook. “The name I got from the police is one Junya Kaneshiro.” He said.

I smiled, remembering the name Ohya had given us. “Ohya gave us the name of Junya Kaneshiro. So that means Kaneshiro is probably our next target. Shall we see if we have a Palace?” I asked. Everyone nodded so I pulled out my phone. “Junya Kaneshiro.” I said.

**“Candidate found”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably tell I've made some major changes in how Makoto handles things, hope you're okay with that. I just didn't like how she thought blackmail was a good idea so I changed that. Also I'm aware this chapter is rather short but I need to get something out to get me back into the grove of things. Anyways that's it for now, bye.


	20. Recruiting a Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group head into the Meta-verse to deal with Kaneshiro, and recruit Makoto for some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter guys, it was very nice to write this chapter.

_ Akira’s POV _

**“Candidate found”**

Ann cheered, Ryuji whooped, Goro smiled happily, Yusuke chuckled, Mishima clapped his hands excitedly, and Morgana meowed happily. We had a target now. I looked at Goro as he held his notebook. “What’s the address of his hideout?” I asked. Goro nodded and flipped a page in his notebook. “It’s a bar called the Poor man’s Shuffle.” He said. I looked at the app, it had picked up on Goro’s voice of course.

**“Candidate not found”**

Everyone was confused. Ann tapped her chin with a straw. “So his distorted views aren’t limited to his hideout? That’s a bit strange, the rest of the Palace’s so far have been tied to a location important to the ruler.” She said. Ryuji nodded and put his head in his hands. “I guess we should start listing all the buildings in Shibuya and see if any of them get a hit.” He said. We were all startled when the app spoke up. 

**“Candidate found”**

I glanced at my phone and then looked at Ryuji who looked very confused and startled. “Did I say something right?” He asked. I nodded. “Yes, yes you did. The keyword was ‘Shibuya’.” I said. It was like everyone felt the same dread I did and all the color drained from their faces. Yusuke spoke up after a bit. “So, he’s Palace is in all of Shibuya… he sees the whole of Shibuya as something..” He muttered. Goro looked at Morgana who looked almost sick by the idea. “Mona? Is this a common thing?” He asked. 

Morgana shook his head. “No, usually the desires don’t distort to this level often. This is the first time I’ve heard of a Palace encompassing a whole city.” He said. I frowned and looked at my phone where the keywords blinked at me. “That just proves how corrupt this man is, Niijima-senpai was right to bring this to our attention.” I said. Goro hummed and then brought out his phone. “You know, yesterday she asked me if I thought it was possible you were in the Phantom Thieves, of course I told her no. And when I talked to her later it was almost like she was looking for reasons you weren’t a Phantom Thief.” He said.

I tilted my head at this but then looked at my phone. “Let’s file that away for later and move on, what could the distortion be?” I asked. Mishima had been taking notes the whole time and finally looked at us. “Let’s see what we know about Kaneshiro. 1) He’s a mafia boss 2) He thinks the whole of Shibuya as something and 3) He runs an extortion ring.” He said. Yusuke nodded, crossing his arms. “With these clues then we can assume the Palace has something to do with money.” He said.

Ann nodded tapping her glass with her fingernail. “So there are three things it can possibly be. An ATM maybe but I’m not sure how we’d rob that. An money bath but again I’m not sure how we’d rob that. Or a bank and that is something we can definitely rob.” She said. I nodded and held out my phone. “Then it must be Bank.” I said. Sure enough the app reported baack.

**“Match found, beginning navigation”**

We celebrated a little bit before looking at the app. I turned to everyone and saw the looks of anticipation there. “Shall we check it out?” I asked. Everyone nodded and I stood up. “Alright, let’s leave and enter the Palace, we’ve gotta check it out after all.” I said. With that we all got up and headed outside, ready to check out this Palace.

* * *

The sky was green and money floated through the air as we walked out into the street, by this point the dizziness hardly effected me. When I looked back everyone else besides Yusuke and Mishima seemed to be in the same boat as me. Goro stepped up next to me and looked up, snatching a bill out of the air. He showed it to me and I saw the face on it, a fat man with slicked back hair. He showed it to the rest and they all seemed just as revolted as me. 

“Guess we know the face of who we’re up against.” Goro said and ripped up the bill. Ann looked up at the sky and hummed, putting her hands on her hips. “I wonder where the money is coming from.” She said. I shrugged and then heard Ryuji speak up. “Hey guys, look at the people.” He said. I turned to look out at the street and saw what Ryuji meant. What were walking around weren’t people but ATMs with legs and arms. I immediately hated this man. “He sees people as walking ATMs? How soon can I punch this guy?” I asked.

Morgana leaped onto my shoulder and looked at me. “First we have to find the Palace and I don’t see it.” He said. Goro looked around and then sighed. “Time to put some detective work into this, I’m gonna question some of the ATMs.” He said. In a swift flash of blue flames he was in his prince uniform and took off his mask before dashing down the street. I sighed and pulled off my own mask and ran after him. “Come on Admin, we need a note taker.” I said. Mishima followed me, taking off his mask and putting it in his pocket like me, pulling out his notebook. 

We caught up to Goro and he smiled as he approached a broken and battered ATM person. Goro stood in front of them and spoke. “Excuse me, we’re looking for Kaneshiro, do you know where we can find him?” He asked. The ATM person shuttered but didn’t look at us. “Where else? Where he leaves no trace.” They said. Goro frowned but we moved on to ask more questions to other ATM people but they told us the same things.

When we returned to Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke they were looking at a pile of ATM people that were all broken and most likely dead. Morgana looked at us as we returned and got off the window seal he was perched on. Ryuji was looking at the ATMs though and sighed. “They look like they just fell from the sky.” He said. Mishima hummed and tapped his notebook as I replaced my mask on my face, Goro did the same as the boy looked at the sky.

That’s when Mishima’s face paled and he then looked at us. “Uh, guys. I think I just found the Palace.” He said. Yusuke raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? Where is it?” He asked. Mishima led us out to the street and pointed up. “There.” He said. Looking up we saw it, the Palace was way up in the air, floating. Ryuji turned to a nearby building and banged his head against it in frustration. “How are we going to get up there?!” He asked. Once he stopped banging his head Mishima gave him a dia to fix any damage done when he did this.

I looked at the floating bank and tapped my foot, I then glanced at Morgana. “Any chance you can turn into a helicopter Mona?” I asked. Morgana shook his head. “No, sorry. Just a car.” He said. I sighed and looked at Goro. “Let’s climb up a building and get a better look at it.” I said. So we scaled a tall building but even then we could only see the gates of the bank. Goro hummed as he looked at the gate. “It appears the gates are open, can we maybe use Arsene to fly ourselves over there?” He asked. I tapped my mask to get Arsene’s attention and he hummed in my head.

_ ‘You think you can fly us over there?’ _ I asked. Arsene looked at the gate from where we were and then back at me.  **‘I don’t think I can fly everyone over there at once and I’m not sure how far I can get from you.’** He said. I frowned.  _ ‘So basically you don’t know?’ _ I asked. Arsene nodded.  **‘And I don’t want to try it and end up with only you over there.’** He said. I sighed and nodded, looking at the gate. I was surprised however when I saw Caroline poke her head out and wave over at me, gesturing for me to come over, it seemed she had something to say.

I looked at Goro who looked at me from staring at Caroline and nodded, we at least had to get over there. I turned to everyone and looked at them. “Stay here, me and Crow are going to go check it out real quick.” I said. When everyone nodded I summoned Arsene and he grabbed me and Goro and flew us over to the bank. He landed and I looked at Caroline who was standing with her twin Justine. I haven’t seen Justine since I first entered the Velvet Room so I gave her a wave and she smiled back.

I then focused on Caroline and she tapped her baton to her palm. “Well inmate, looks like you’re in a bit of a tough spot. You’ll need a new element for this, nucular if I’m right.” She said, looking at her sister who nodded. I nodded and tapped my foot. “I haven’t seen any nuclear shadows in Mementos, how do I get it?” I asked. Justine smiled. “You already have a confident with this element. Your High Priestess.” She said. I frowned and tried to remember who had that arcana and then I remembered. “Niijima.” I said.

Caroline nodded. “That’s right.” She said. I looked at Goro and noticed his eyes were wide too, but he seemed to know my line of thinking. “We need to get her here.” He said. 

* * *

_ Makoto’s POV _

It was after school and I stood up, I had taken a risk giving Kurusu the files but I hoped it had paid off. I wasn’t convinced he was even a member of the Phantom Thieves because he was absolutely terrified of adults and could barely stand to look them in the eyes but I thought that maybe he had connections to them and wasn’t directly involved. Kobayakawa also seemed to be making judgement calls on Kurusu’s behavior completely based on his past which was severely misunderstood and wasn’t even his fault. Akechi told me exactly what happened to Kurusu and I trusted his judgement because Kurusu was his best friend and he therefore knew him better than Principal Kobayakawa did and could inform me better than he could.

As I walked the hallway I heard rapid footsteps behind me and when I turned around I saw Kurusu running towards me. He stopped in front of me and I titled my head at him as he pushed some of his hair behind his ear. “C-can I t-talk to you a-about something?” He asked. I was immediately worried as he did have a bad reputation and could be getting harassed as a result. “Sure, what is the problem?” I asked. Kurusu looked around and then shook his head. “N-not here, please? I-I don’t want to talk a-about it here.” He said.

I nodded and adjusted my bag over my shoulder. “Of course, lead the way.” I said. Kurusu led me out of the school and made his way over to the train but then stopped us in a mostly abandoned walkway. “G-Goro told me t-that principal Kobayakawa h-has you investigating the Phantom Thieves.” He said. I nodded. “That’s right, he told me to investigate the Phantom Thieves. And demanded that you be my first suspect.” I said. I crossed my fingers, hoping that being honest with him wouldn’t spook the boy.

Kurusu looked at me from under his bangs at me. “D-do you think I-I am a Phantom Thief?” He asked. I shook my head. “No, I have no evidence you are. Your personality doesn’t match with someone who would do something like that. Besides if you are a Phantom Thief I wouldn’t judge you, I know nothing of your past so I don’t know what your motivations could be.” I said. Kurusu looked at me with a soft smile and pushed his hair behind his ear again. “R-really? T-thanks Niijima-senpei, I-I’ve never really h-had anyone besides Goro t-trust me before.” He said.

I smiled at him and held up my hand. “Of course, as far as I’m concerned you’re innocent. No evidence points to you as a Phantom Thief.” I said. Kurusu smiled and rubbed his arm. “T-then why d-did you give m-me those f-files?” He asked. I adjusted my bag over my shoulder and prayed I was making the right decision, Akira Kurusu was skittish and I didn’t want to frighten him off. “Honestly? I thought if you possibly were or had connections to the Phantom Thieves that it would be taken care of. No matter what I say to Principal Kobayakawa he refuses to shift his focus to this clear issue. I figured that the Phantom Thieves would be able to do something.” I said.

Kurusu looked up and then nodded. At this moment Morgana poked his head out of Kurusu’s bag and I saw that in his mouth was a calling card, written on it was  **Makoto Niijima, we need your help** . I looked at Kurusu and I saw his pleading look. “What can I do?” I asked. I was surprised when a bright smile appeared on Kurusu’s face and he walked over to a train. I followed him onto the train and got off with him. We arrived at Shibuya and Kurusu turned to me. “C-can you promise me t-that you wouldn’t t-tell anyone what I’m a-about to show you?” He asked.

I nodded. “Of course.” I said. Not two seconds after I said this I suddenly felt light headed and the world spun.

* * *

I put my head in my hands and waited for the dizziness to fade away and the world to stop spinning, once it did I lifted my head up and looked around I realized that everything was different. The sky was tinted green and money flew through the air, also walking around us were walking ATMs. “Where are we?” I asked. I heard Kurusu talking but didn’t turn to look at him. “We’re in a place that as far as I know only we and now yourself know about. I wish I could say for sure but I honestly have no idea.” He said.

I realized there was no stutter in his voice when he spoke like before and turned to look at him. Kurusu stood there with his hands in his pockets, he was wearing a grey vest, black overcoat with three tails, black dress pants, brown ankle boots, and a white domino mask with black around the eyes. Perched on his shoulder was what looked like a cartoonish cat, it’s tail swished and eyes blinked which confirmed that whatever it was it was alive. I also realized it had the same markings as Kurusu’s cat Morgana.

I also noticed that wherever we were caused Kurusu to have a change in behavior, he seemed more confident and sure of himself but I could still see the anxiety in his eyes so he was still nervous. I looked at him and crossed my arms. “So where are we?” I asked. Kurusu didn’t seem surprised that I asked and he raised his hands. “We’re in the cognitive world, or the Meta-verse as it’s called. Using this place we can steal the hearts of wicked people. You still promise to not tell anyone? I’m putting a lot of trust in you, you know?” He asked.

I looked at him and nodded, a small smile appearing on my lips. “Of course Kurusu-kun, I’m actually very glad you are trusting me right now.” I said. Kurusu smiled and the cat perched on his shoulder pointed at me with a paw. “Good, honestly we’re not sure anyone would believe you if you did say anything but we’re glad we don’t have to worry about that.” He said. I looked at the cat and he noticed the attention. “You’re… Morgana right? Kurusu’s cat?” I asked.

“Oi! I’m not a cat!” He said. Kurusu reached up and patted the creature on the head and turned to look at me. “He’s not a cat, not exactly. We’re not sure what he is exactly but yes, you’re right to assume this is Morgana.” He then looked at Morgana. “It’s okay Mona, she didn’t know obviously so you shouldn’t take any offence to it, Fox called you a cat at first didn’t he? And I did too.” He said.

Morgana seemed to find that acceptable and nodded. “You’re right Joker, I shouldn’t get mad at that. Everyone calls me that at some point.” He said. I raised an eyebrow at that but Kurusu looked at me, almost seeming to sense my confusion. “It’s dangerous to use our real names here, everyone has a code name for when we come here. Mine is Joker and Morgana has Mona.” He said. I nodded, understanding what he was telling me. “What exactly is the place we’re in now?” I asked.

Kurusu snatched a bill out of the air and showed it to me. “We’re in Junya Kaneshiro’s Palace, the man running the extortion scam you brought to our attention.” He said. On the bill was the face of a man, greasy looking hair and overweight looking. Kurusu threw the bill over his shoulder and then a black gountent snatched it out of the air, tearing it up almost instantly. I looked at the owner of gountent and almost immediately recognized the slim frame, brown hair peeking out from under the helmet, and eyes hidden behind the mask. “Akechi-kun?” I asked.

Akechi looked at me and pushed his mask up a bit and I could see his face more clearly and he gave me a smirk. “It’s Crow here Niijima-chan. We’ve been waiting around to make sure everything was okay.” He said. I was about to ask what he meant but then noticed the rest of the thieves gathering. I recognized three of them right away as Sakamoto dressed like a thug with a skull mask, Takamaki dressed in a skin tight suit covered in zippers with a red cat mask, and Mishima dressed in a dark blue bodysuit with a visor like mask but the last one I didn’t recognize. His hair was blue and his eyes were a dark blue color that looked at everything differently, he was tall and thin and was probably the tallest of the group.

His outfit was honestly quite lovely and his white fox mask with red designs went with the white and red striped tail that hung from his belt. Because of the fox mask this led me to believe this was Fox who Kurusu mentioned earlier and I remembered that Akechi had mentioned someone named Yusuke when we were having dinner that one time so I guessed this might be Yusuke. I looked at all of them and then at Kurusu. “Why did you decide to bring me here?” I asked. Kurusu gestured for me to follow so I did and he began to lead me around. 

“A Palace is how the ruler sees the world, it’s twisted and distorted to fit it’s ruler’s fancy. Inside the Palace is what we need to steal, the Treasure. It’s the manifestation of the ruler’s distorted desires and by stealing we essentially are removing those desires.” Kurusu said as he walked. I raised my eyebrow at this but still followed him. “Why exactly do you need my help with?” I asked. Akechi picked at his gloves before answering. “Well, once we got here we ran into a major problem with getting to the Palace.” He said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we in the Palace?” I asked. Sakamoto shook his head. “We’re in the area surrounding the Palace, not in the Palace proper. If we were in the Palace Shadows would be patrolling around and making sure we don’t get near the Treasure. The Palace is there.” He said, pointing up. When I looked up I saw a floating bank, it looked to be where the money was going. I knew right away what their problem was. “How are we going to get up there?” I asked.

Kurusu rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s what we can’t figure out, any ideas?” He asked. I looked at the bank and looked at them. “Do you have access to something that flies?” I asked. Akechi shook his head. “Mona can’t turn into a helicopter and we can’t use Arsene to fly over there without leaving people behind.” He said. When I looked at him Kurusu answered. “Mona can turn into a car here but he can’t turn into anything else. Arsene is what is known as a Persona, we’ll explain about that later. We really need to figure out what to do now.” He said.

I nodded and looked at the bank, thinking about what to do. “Have you guys tried to approach him directly? Maybe if we’re customers of his bank it’ll grant us entry.” I suggested. Everyone looked at each other before Akechi looked at me. “We’ve never tried to get in trouble on purpose. With Madarame we had a deadline but that wasn’t really our fault, he was just a paranoid man that didn’t want us to snitch to the police. Kamoshida didn’t really have a deadline but we kinda gave ourselves one to be safe. And you’re suggesting we throw ourselves at him willingly to gain access to the Palace?” He asked, crossing his arms.

I looked away, realizing that it sounded crazy and was dangerous to do. But then Akechi spoke up after a minute. “That’s bloody brilliant, and would take a ton of balls to pull off.” He said. I looked at him and saw that Akechi was smirking slightly but still looked worried. Kurusu nodded and looked at him. “Obviously you can’t get involved, if Kaneshiro sees you he’ll try to get any money out of you right away. You’re the famous Detective Prince after all.” He said. I was starting to think that they would start arguing about who would go or what to do when I felt an arm around my shoulders, when I looked I saw it was Sakamoto who wore an impish grin.

“Hey Miss Prez, I have something to add on to this plan of ours. Wanna hear it?” Sakamoto asked. I sighed and looked at him. “Sure, what is it Sakamoto?” I asked. Sakamoto tapped his mask. “It’s Skull here Miss Prez, anyways here’s what I’m thinking…”

* * *

I held the phone to my ear as I looked around central street, nervous but willing to do this. “Do you really think this will work?” I asked. On the other side of the line I heard Sakamoto shuffle around, my guess was he was getting comfortable in his crouched position to lay in wait.  _ “They approached Iida on central street, all you have to do is find them and then ask where you can find Kaneshiro. Yusuke is waiting to get their license plate and Ann is ready to follow any car and hail down a taxi. I’m outside the Poor man’s Shuffle in case they take you here. Akira and Goro are ready to call the cops in case they try to do something to you, even if he’s arrested it’ll give us time to steal the Treasure. You ready?” _ He asked.

They were ready for basically anything and that made me feel better about going through with this plan. “I’m ready, remember that you can’t talk after this.” I said. I heard Sakamoto hum.  _ “Roger that, go get ‘em Miss Prez.” _ He said. I tucked my phone away and then glanced behind me, the blue haired boy who was introduced to me as Yusuke Kitagawa looked almost calm and natural as he chilled by a wall near me. Kitagawa saw my eyes on him and he gave me a thumbs up and then gave me a shooing motion, a clear sign to get going.

I took a deep breath and started walking around, searching for alleys that held any suspicious persons that could be involved in the extortion ring run by Kaneshiro. When I entered an alley where I saw a gym I heard two men talking. I frowned as I realized how stupid the two were.

_ “We need to find two more marks before the boss has our head.” _

_ “What do you suggest? For some reason not a lot of students are walking around right now.” _

_ ‘Well at least people are realizing something is going on.’ _ I thought before approaching the two. “Excuse me.” The two turned to me and glared. I wasn’t fazed and adjusted my bag over my shoulder. “I’m looking for Kaneshiro, do you know where I could find him?” I asked. The one wearing a colorful shirt narrowed his eyes at me. “How do you know about him?” He asked.

I didn’t answer that question. “I want to talk to him about something, where can I find him?” I asked again. Behind me I could feel Kitagawa’s eyes locked onto the scene, waiting for his time to come. The other man had pulled out a phone and was talking on it, after a moment he looked at me. “Alright then, let’s go.” He said. When the car pulled up I could hear the scratching of Kitagawa’s pencil on the paper, but I’m sure they didn’t notice as I had to really listen to hear it. I was just glad he had the license plate number if we needed it.

* * *

“Who is this? Your boyfriend?” The heavyset man asked as he looked at my phone. I didn’t bother moving as two guys held me down to the floor, just glancing at the door every now and then. Right on cue Sakamoto, Takamaki, and Kitagawa entered the bar, Kitagawa with his sketchbook tucked under his arm and Sakamoto with his phone out and held up. The blonde waved his phone, glaring at the man who was probably Kaneshiro. “You wish don’t you dipshit?” He said. 

Kaneshiro looked at the two men and growled. “Huh, you got followed idiots!” He snarled. Takamaki crossed her arms, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. “What? Did you really think we wouldn’t be watching over our friend? He called us in a panic when you guys grabbed her.” She said, jerking her head at Kitagawa. Kaneshiro looked at me and then raised his phone and snapped a photo, Sakamoto looked surprised but very quickly looked pissed off.

Kaneshiro grinned at them. “Oops, looks like I got some booze and cigs in the shot.” He said. Sakamoto looked about ready to fling himself at Kaneshiro but was somehow holding back. Kitagawa spoke up for the first time since I’ve met him really, his voice calm and sure. “Let me guess? You want us to pay you something?” He asked, pushing some of his hair back. Kaneshiro grinned wickedly. “Smart boy, I’d also like a look at that notebook.” He said. When his men tried to take the sketchbook from Kitagawa the boy moved it away and then firmly pushed them away from him. “This is my personal sketchbook, I’m an artist. You will pry this sketchbook from my cold dead hands.” He said.

Kaneshiro looked tempted to make that so but then decided not to. “You have four weeks to come up with three million yen, if you don’t by then I’ll leak these pictures to the police and your school.” He said. With that the men let me up and I walked out of the bar with Sakamoto, Takamaki, and Kitagawa. Once we were outside the bar and far away Akechi, Kurusu, and Mishima made their appearances. Akechi pulled out his phone and pulled up whatever app they used to get inside. “Alright, let’s see if that changed anything.” He said. Just like before I felt light headed and the world spun.

* * *

When I looked up I saw the bank in the air and the others were standing next to me with their strange clothes. I walked towards the open street and the bank came to us, a bridge of light coming towards us. I looked at everyone and they smiled. Akechi walked up next to me. “We’ve got our way in.” He said. I nodded and we walked forward, stepping up and onto the bridge. Walking forward we passed the gates.

Looking around we saw the statues of piggy banks decorating the outside and something tells me that the same would be on the inside. We walked up to the front door and Kurusu stopped. “Alright everyone, be ready to bolt the moment things get hairy. Okay? And remember since Niijima-senpei doesn’t have a Persona if things do get hairy make a Saturn formation around her.” He said. Everyone nodded and we headed inside, pushing open the doors to the twisted bank and striding in.

After a few moments a guard approached, from what I’ve been told this was probably a shadow. It was dressed like a security guard and had a mask on it, almost like a SWAT unit.  **“What is your business here?”** It asked. Kurusu rested a hand on my shoulder and looked at the shadow. He seemed to know what he was doing, looking directly at the shadow and speaking confidently. ”We’re here to see the bank president.” He said. 

The shadow looked at him and huffed.  **“Do you have an appointment?”** It asked. Akechi stepped up and put a hand on my shoulder. “She’s a special customer.” He said. That’s when we heard a voice over the intcom, it sounded like Kaneshiro but the voice was weird and echoey like the shadows.  **“Let them through.”** He said. Kurusu looked at me. “That would be Kaneshiro’s shadow, probably won’t meet him in person. Shadow’s don’t usually take that kind of risk.” He said. But nevertheless we followed the path laid out for us until we were directed into a room.

On the table there were stacks of money, each one of the thieves looked at the money with disinterest but were more focused on the TV screen nearby. Soon enough it clicked on to show a man that looks a lot like Kaneshiro in the real world, this must be his shadow.  **“Disrupting the peace, breaking and entering, do I need to add anything more to our list kids?”** The man asked as he turned around which was when we saw the purple skin tone. Akechi raised his eyebrow at this. “What’s with the skin tone? The other shadows look pretty normal aside from the clothing.” He said.

The shadow seemed upset that none of the thieves looked afraid or seemed to care about what he was saying. Sakamoto paid it no mind and just looked at the money table and then glanced at me. “Hey Miss Prez, how much money do you figure is on here?” He asked. The shadow smirked.  **“What? Need a donation?”** It asked. I tapped my chin before looking at Sakamoto. “Thousands, maybe millions. Depends on how much is in the stacks.” I said. The shadow snickered.  **“What? Blonde thug can’t count?”** He asked.

Sakamoto looked at the shadow grinned. “I can count buddy, I just knew figuring out how much there is pointless for me when someone else can do it better. Admin, how much are we looking at?” He asked, looking at Mishima. The sides of Mishima’s mask lit up and soon it stopped. “About 4.2 million yen give or take a few million.” He said. Akechi nodded and looked at Kurusu. Takamaki looked at Shadow Kaneshiro then. “Look here buddy we don’t plan to get in any more debt with you then you already gave us and we also don’t plan to pay the debt in the first place because we’re gonna change your heart before that happens.” She said.

Kaneshiro frowned.  **“Really? What do you brats plan to do? I’m a very hard man to piss off.”** He asked. Kurusu looked at me then. “Hey Miss Prez, how do you think we could piss off this man?” He asked. I tapped my chin and looked at the money table. “My guess? Go after the money.” I said. Kurusu nodded and looked at Mishima. “Go ahead.” He said. Mishima nodded and pulled out several flasks from a belt that appeared on his hips. He poured the liquid in the first flask into the second and started to shake it. 

“You know a funny thing about my Persona Kaneshiro? Most think it’s useless and therefore I’m useless but Walter Bishop was a scientist and could whip up some powerful concoctions. And I recently learned a powerful little thing called ‘chemical reaction’, now I know what it’ll do but everyone else? Nope, that’s what makes it so exciting.” Mishima said. He then put the chemicals into a glass sphere and sealed it with a blast of heat. “Alright Skull, all on you.” He said, tossing it to Sakamoto. 

Sakamoto caught the sphere and shook it causing it to glow red. He then threw it at the money table causing the sphere to break, in an instant it ignited and the table was up in flames. If Kaneshiro’s shadow’s skin tone wasn’t purple he would have turned more purple then.  **“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”** He screamed. Akechi turned to the TV screen. “Sending a message, also we wanted to just give you a big screw you.” He said. The sound Kaneshiro’s shadow made when he said that was unholy and Kurusu looked at me. “Alright, let’s get out of here before the guards start showing up. Skull, Fox, get us a way out.” He said.

Sakamoto and Kitagawa nodded and their masks disappeared, their Personas appearing behind them and slamming full force into the door in the room. Immediately it burst open and several shadows were sent flying across the hall. We ran out of the room and ran down the hallway, making our way to the front door everyone made sure to keep me in the middle away from the dangerous shadows. However right when we were about to exit shadows appeared right in front of us blocking our path. Morgana hissed softly. “The door is literally right there.” He said.

**“It looks like you’re in a spot of trouble.”** We turned around and saw Shadow Kaneshiro, standing with his guards and looking smug. I growled and looked at the man. “What exactly do you want you sick bastard?” I asked. Shadow Kaneshiro grinned.  **“I think it’s pretty clear Niijima-san.”** When he said that everyone got a look on their faces. Akechi was the first to speak. “You knew who she was. You knew she was a Niijima.” He said.

**“Hard to miss the signature red eyes of the Niijimas, though I have to say I’m surprised to know the famous Detective Prince isn’t related to them.”** Shadow Kaneshiro said. Kurusu looked at the shadow and I could see the fire in his eyes. “What exactly do you want from Miss Prez, you wouldn’t go after her if you didn’t think she could make you money.” He said. Shadow Kaneshiro smiled at him.

**“You have a lot to learn about the world boy, a woman can earn three million yen in no time around these parts. The Red light district especially.”** The shadow said. Everyone seemed to understand what he meant right away. Akechi looked disgusted right away. “I get it, you planned to sell her out.” He said. I glared at Kaneshiro. “Am I just a pretty face to you?” I asked. Shadow Kaneshiro just grinned his sick grin.  **“All you have to do is bear it and do as you’re told, you can earn three million yen in not time.”** He said. 

I sighed and my fists clenched, first there was Kobayakawa demanding I investigate a seemingly innocent boy who he’s convinced is involved without evidence. Now this man saying I should sell my body to pay off a debt he gave us, I was tired of people telling me what to do, these guys allowed me to do what I wanted which allowed me to help. I growled and looked at the shadow as he laughed. “I’ve had enough of everyone telling me what to do. You have no power over me. So just shut your mouth you money grubbing asshole!” I shouted at him.

**‘Your soul cries out for a different path, are you ready to forge ahead and claim what if rightfully yours?’** A calm voice asked me, I knew what it was right away. I looked at the ground and then at the shadow. “Yes, come to me!” I yelled.  **‘Very well, we will forge our contract at once.’** That’s when the pain started, it felt like something was trying to claw its way out of my skull. I yelled and stomped my foot, cracking through the floor under my feet.

**‘I am thou, thou art I. Never lose your way again.’** I yelled and grabbed the mask on my face, ripping it off. Flames engulfed me and before they were even all clear I raced out on Johanna ready to flat them all to the ground. I ran over a shadow and then pulled myself into a circle. “I will run you all to the ground with Johanna! You will not tell me what to do!” I yelled. I saw Arsene fly forward and crush a shadow near me with his claws, Kurusu following closely. “Hell yeah Miss Prez! You tell them!” He said.

Akechi came in as well, Robin Hood with his bow ready. Sakamoto and Kitagawa swinging their weapons and slicing through shadows. Takamaki’s whip cracking through the air and slicing shadows. Mishima hung back, mixing up his chemical reactions. He threw one at me and I caught it, the orb having a weird color to it. “Make sure to shake it before you throw it or it wouldn’t work! And shake it well! The more you shake it the bigger the reaction!” He called to me.

I nodded and gripped the orb, shaking it violently just like he told me to. Pretty soon the mix turned green and I looked at the thieves, still shaking it. “What do you guys think will happen?” I asked. They looked at each other and Kurusu answered. “Wind probably.” He said. I smiled, still shaking it. “Then let’s get ready to run, I’m about to give us an opening to run.” I said. Morgana nodded and hopped up, turning into a car which everyone climbed into besides Mishima who summoned his persona.

I saw Kurusu get behind the wheel and start the engine, looking at me and waiting for his cue. I looked at Kaneshiro, still shaking the orb in my hand. “Don’t stop even if the door is in your way, we’ll bust our way through.” I said. I heard Kurusu say ‘Alright’ and then chucked the orb directly at Kaneshiro, I then revved Johanna. “Johanna! Fei!” I commanded. The orb was surrounded in light and then it shattered, a gale of wind erupting from the orb. 

With them busy I turned and put the pedal to the metal, tires screeching as I zoomed through the door. I busted through at the same time as Kurusu in the Mona van, Mishima following not far behind, Walter Bishop zooming across the ground. Sakamoto laughed, leaning outside the window of the van. “Alright Makoto! Now that’s what I’m talking about! That was some hardcore asswhopping back there!” He yelled.

Takamaki laughed, poking out herself. “Now that’s some girl power Makoto. You’re definitely a queen sweetie.” She said. My mind immediately latched onto the word and I smiled. “Queen… I like that. That should be my code name.” I said. Kurusu responded immediately. “Queen it is! Welcome to the team Queen.” He said. I laughed and revved Johanna, racing besides them as Kurusu slammed on the gas and Mishima threw Walter Bishop into full throttle. 

Racing down the bridge I saw where we entered and got ready to enter the real world.

* * *

I caught my breath as I crouched down in the abandoned walkway, the stars out and moon bright. I looked up at everyone as they gathered around me, Kitagawa having returned with a bottle of green tea. He passed it to me and I took it, taking a drink from it. “Thanks Kitagawa-kun.” I said. Kitagawa smiled a calm smile and shook his head. “You can call me Yusuke Makoto, we Phantom Thieves aren’t just teammates, we’re friends too.” He said.

I giggled and nodded. “Okay Yusuke, honestly I haven’t had many friends.” I said. Ake-... Goro looked at me with a grin I had never seen around sis, it looked mischievous. “Well that for sure is going to change.” He said. Akira smiled and nodded. “It’s good to have you on our side Makoto, I would have been scared if you were working against us.” He said, stutter gone and relaxed. I smiled at him. “Don’t most people scare you?” I asked.

“Adults scare me, other kids make me nervous more than anything. Angry adults are enough to make me panic.” Akira said. I nodded and looked at Saka- Ryuji as he approached with a bag in hand. “I’ve got you a snack Makoto! Figured you would want something to eat before you head home.” He said. I took the bag and looked inside, it was a bag of sour cream and onion chips. I pulled it out and looked at Ryuji. “Thanks, how did you know I like this kind?” I asked.

“Saw you sneaking a bag during lunch one time, acted like it had to be some huge secret. Honestly no one here cares about your waist size Makoto so you don’t have to hide your sweet tooth with us.” Ryuji said, smiling. I smiled and opened the bag, reaching into the bag and pulled out a chip. “Thanks, that makes me feel better honestly.” I said. Ann and Mishima chatted softly with Morgana as I ate, I was surprised that the cat could talk in the real world but honestly Akira explained it pretty well to me.

_ “Morgana can talk in the real world and in the Meta-verse. But you can only hear him in the real world once you hear him in the Meta-verse. It’s one of the most simple changes of cognition, you heard Morgana talk so now you can hear his voice because your cognition was changed. It’s the same thing as stealing a heart.” _

I finished the bag and washed the chips down with the green tea, then I stood up. “When should we meet again? We’ve got to steal Kaneshiro’s heart.” I said. Akira got up from leaning against the railing. “Soon, but not tomorrow that’s for sure. You’ve got to rest.” He said. I understood that and nodded, I was exhausted so having a day to rest sounded great. So everyone began to split up and go home, Ryuji and Akira leaving together with Morgana. 

I looked at Goro as he put a hand on me. “I’ll take you home, come on Yusuke.” He said. Yusuke nodded and he adjusted his bag over his shoulder, I smiled and looked at the two. “Thanks Goro, why are you coming though Yusuke?” I asked. Yusuke smiled and looked at Goro. “Well after Madarame confessed I tried to live in the dorms but found it too loud. Goro offered to let me live in his apartment until I found a more permanent place.” He said. I smiled and looked at Goro. “Well isn’t that nice of you.” I said. Goro shrugged. “Just helping out a friend.” He said. I laughed and we left, heading for the train that we needed.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

“I have to ask why you keep calling Ann ‘Lady Ann’ Mona.” I said, looking at the cat resting on my legs. Morgana glanced at me and smiled softly. “Well you see the reason I call her that is because I like her. You sometimes give the people you like pet names.” He said. I raised an eyebrow at this. “I call Goro GoGo all the time, he’s my friend.” I said. Morgana nodded. “Yeah, Goro is your best friend after all. But I like Lady Ann in a different way, I’m pretty sure at least.” He said. 

I nodded and looked at the ceiling, he liked Ann romantically and as I laid there I considered my relationship with Goro. The feelings I get whenever we’re together, how I think about him, all that stuff. That when I realized something and face palmed, groaning. “Fuck, I’m in love with my best friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys expect any of this? Feel free to scream at me in the comments or slam the kudos button if you enjoyed. That's all for me, bye!


	21. The calm before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Akira does before starting the infiltration to the Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is honestly a bit of a filler chapter, hope you enjoy.

_ Akira’s POV _

Having my face shoved into my bed was honestly the only way I could avoid looking at Morgana who was bouncing around the attic. “Goro and Akira sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G” 

I growled softly and looked at the cat. “Shut up Mona please! God why are feelings so complicated? Why can’t I just have my best friend and not fall for him?” I asked. Morgana giggled and made his way back to my bed, looking happy but understanding. “It’s okay Akira, sometimes that happens with friends. You should tell Goro.” He said. I immediately bolted up, feeling my face heat up. “NO! I’m not going to do that! I don’t want to lose the first friend I’ve had!” I said. Morgana groaned. “Akira I’m 89% sure that Goro likes you back, I can’t be completely sure because I can’t read Goro very well but I’m sure he does.” He said.

“There’s still an 11% chance that he doesn’t see me that way.” I said. Morgana groaned and stood up. “Akira if you don’t tell him I will.” He said. I looked at the cat. “You wouldn’t.” I said. Morgana squinted at me. “Are you really going to take that chance? You’ve got to stop being so afraid of everything Akira, if you’re always afraid you can’t enjoy life.” He said, leaping onto the shelf next to my bed, sitting in between the two stuffed animals my friends won for me from Dome Town. I sighed and looked at him. “I know Morgana but everything makes me afraid, it hard to shake off that fear. I’m just not comfortable doing that kind of thing just yet.” I said.

Morgana’s tail flicked and he perked up. “How about this? You get a job, I think the Beef Bowl shop is hiring for the night shift. And maybe spend time with our gun dealer, I’m sure Ryuji wouldn’t mind keeping you company while you get used to spending time with him. And once you do that and feel more comfortable you try confessing to Goro, okay?” He asked. I sighed and looked at him, nodding. “Okay, I can work with that. I’ll apply to the Beef Bowl shop tomorrow after school and then I’ll try hanging out at Untouchables with Ryuji after school.” I said.

Morgana smiled and nodded. “Great, now let’s go to bed. Do you want me to tuck my head away so I don’t peak?” He asked. I thought about it and eventually shook my head. “No, I trust you Mona. I’m alright with you seeing my scars.” I said. Morgana smiled and rubbed against my arm, purring. “Good, the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.” He said. I nodded and stood up, pulling off my shirt and exposing my scars. I glance at Morgana and he looked upset. “Akira… I will never let your parents touch you again. I will scratch their ankles the shreds before I let them hurt you again.” He said.

I smiled and ran a hand through Morgana’s fur. “Thanks but I don’t want you to get hurt if it comes down to it okay? If something happens I want you to get one of the others or even Sojiro, okay?” I asked. Morgana huffed but nodded and leaped down to the floor, pulling my nightshirt from the box I kept my clothes in. He carried it over to me and I smiled, bending down to pick it up and starting to put it on. That’s when I heard a voice. “Smart cat, did you teach him to do that?” When I looked up I saw Sojiro, I wasn’t sure if he saw my scars but I wasn’t sure if I was upset by that.

“N-no, he did it on his o-own.” I said. Morgana looked at Sojiro and meowed as I continued putting on my shirt so that Sojiro didn’t see my scars. The cafe owner bent down and ran a hand down Morgana’s back making him purr. “Good kitty, I’m sure there’s something we can probably teach you.” He said. I watched as Morgana meowed at Sojiro before trotting off back to my box and sticking his head in to pull something else out. While he did that Sojiro walked over and sat on my bed, looking at me with a soft look in his eyes.

“Kid, can I see your arm?” Sojiro asked. I immediately pulled my arm to me and clutched it to my body.I expected him to grab my arm but he merely looked at me with his hand out. “I’m not going to grab your arm Akira, I’m just going to wait right here until you’re ready to give it to me.” He said. I looked at my guardian who was just waiting there patiently with his hand out, I glanced at Morgana who looked at me and flicked his tail. “Go ahead Akira, you can trust him. He’s your guardian after all.” He said softly.

I hung my head and sighed, I didn’t really see a way out of this so I slowly held out my arm and gave it to Sojiro. He held my arm gently and rolled up my sleeve, the first things coming into view being the bite marks I had inflicted on myself, the next was the long scar going from the middle of my forearm to my elbow. Sojiro looked at them and then without a word slid my sleeve back over my scars, he then reached up and ruffled my hair. I was surprised that I didn’t flinch when his hand raised but everything about this man didn’t make me afraid of him.

In fact I leaned into the touch more than anything which seemed to surprise Sojiro but he seemed happy by this. “Kid… you’re doing some much better than when you arrived here.” He said with a laugh. I looked at him in confusion and he seemed to understand. “When you first arrived here you could barely stand to look me in the eyes. You’ve improved so much and that makes me happy to see.” He said. I rubbed my arm and then looked at him. “D-does that s-surprise you?” I asked. Sojiro shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter son. I should probably tell you this but when I sent you out yesterday it was because your parents were coming to visit.” He said.

I looked at him in surprise, Morgana had frozen in place with my sleep pants in his mouth. “W-why did y-you do that?” I asked. Sojiro frowned and rubbed my arm. “Because I didn’t want them to hurt you if that was what they would have done. Hell when I refused to tell them where you were I thought they would have thrown a cup at me. No way would I had let them touch you when they act like that towards me.” He said. Morgana leaped up onto the bed with my pants in his mouth and laid down in my lap, purring. 

“Y-you did that f-for me? Y-you were w-willing to take a h-hit for me? Why?” I asked. Sojiro ruffled my hair and I reveled in the gentle touch. “Because you’re my ward and it’s my job to protect you even if it’s your own parents. Futaba went through a similar thing with her family after her mother died and I refuse to stand by and watch while you’re getting hurt just like she was.” He said. I looked at Sojiro and honestly felt like I might cry. “N-no adult has e-ever treated me l-like this before.” I admitted. Sojiro hugged me and I found myself melting into the touch as he ran a hand through my hair. “It’s okay Akira, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you away from them. You just have to help me help you okay?” He asked.

I looked at the ground. “N-not right now, I-I don’t have the c-courage to do an-anything.” I said. To my surprise I felt Sojiro nod. “Okay, but we only have a year really. But I’ll do what I can, okay?” He asked. I let out a shuddering breath and clutched onto Sojiro’s shirt. “Thank you.” I muttered.

**[Hierophant rank 2]**

* * *

“Alright that’s the Beef Bowl shop taken care of, do I really have to go see Ryuji about Untouchables now?” I asked, looking at Morgana. The cat flicked his tail at me and frowned. “Akira, don’t put this off. It’ll make you feel better if you can gain confidence quickly.” He said. I sighed and looked at my phone. Sojiro was regularly texting me to check if I was okay and stuff like that, when I told him about getting a job he seemed very happy about it and told me to go for it.

I sighed again and pulled up Ryuji’s contact and hit call. Sojiro suggested I should call more people so I could get used to talking to people other then Goro over the phone. However after a few rings I was already too nervous to speak but then the line was picked up and I heard Ryuji’s voice. _ “Yo Akira, what’s up? I think this is the first time you’ve called me.” _ He said. Hearing my friend’s voice made me feel better so I managed to talk. “Y-yeah, I talked with Sojiro last night and he suggested that I call people more often. Anyways that’s not why I called, I was wondering if you would hang out with me and that Untouchables guy. I want to build my confidence and stuff like that.” I said.

_ “Building confidence? Iwai is a good choice for that kind of thing. Alright, I’ll do it dude. Where are you right now?” _ He asked. I glanced around the underground mall. “I’m in the underground mall, are you coming here?” I asked. I heard Ryuji hum. _ “Yup, wait there and I’ll come over there. See you soon.” _ He said. I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, see you soon RyRy.” I said, with that I hung up and sat down by a pillar. 

After a while Ryuji arrived and we started walking to Untouchables together, I hadn’t really been back since the first time I went but Ryuji seemed more than happy to stay with me as we entered the shop. He immediately waved at the man behind the corner. “Hey Iwai! What’s up! You mind if me and Akira hang out here for a bit?” He asked. Iwai looked at us and nodded. “You know the drill by now, hey kid. Akira right? You can dust the counters, think you can do that?” He asked. I looked at Ryuji and he smiled. “I sometimes come here to chill after a long day, Iwai’s number one rule is that if you hang out here you have to help out a bit.” He said. 

I nodded and took the rag Iwai offered me. “O-okay.” I said.

* * *

Dusting the counters were really simple but it kept me busy cause as it turned out there were plenty of dusting to do, and while I did this Ryuji and Iwai chatted around me. The two talked plenty about things like guns and other things, turns out Ryuji was very interested in war history. “I’ve been thinking about buying a model ship, one of those battle ships that they sell in the underground mall. What do you think Akira?” He asked, looking at me. I shrugged. “If you want to go for it, it interests you doesn’t it? Besides it’s something to do when you have free time.” I said.

Ryuji smiled and set down the box he was holding. “You heard the boy Iwai, maybe you should start stocking model ships and trains.” He said. Iwai looked at me and shrugged. “Maybe I should, think that would be a good investment kid?” He asked. I shrugged. “Q-quite a few p-people like putting together m-models but this place is k-kinda in a back alley, maybe.” I said. Iwai smiled and looked at his paper. “Good to know kid, I might just hire you as a part timer.” He said. 

_ I am thou, thou art I _

_ Thou has acquired a new vow _

_ It shall be the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity _

_ With the birth of the **Hanged Man**_ _persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power. _

I gave Iwai a nervous smile and he gave me one in return.

* * *

“We have some time today, you wanna pick up a shift at the Beef Bowl shop and work on that confidence?” Morgana asked. I looked at the clock and sighed, I still had some time before Sojiro expected me back at the cafe so honestly I did have time to go to the Beef Bowl shop. “Alright, I do have the time.” I said. With that in mind I went to the Beef Bowl shop, I had hung out with Ryuji and Iwai yesterday and I had just gotten done helping Makoto understand what we would be doing tomorrow which would involve the Palace. 

At the Beef Bowl shop I hardly had time to think, I was kept busy with orders and things like that, with my reflexes I managed to get through it fairly well but as I cleaned up I heard someone talking. “You’re certainly working hard, it’s good to see that in kids these days.” I turned and saw what looked like a politician. He wore a suit and had some kind of banner across his shoulder, his eyes looked kind and his face just seemed to have a natural smile, his black hair slicked back but it was nothing like Kaneshiro’s hair. He smiled and stood up, walking away without saying another word. My interest was peaked by this man so after my shift was over I grabbed Morgana and then trotted off to find him.

Morgana of course wasn’t too happy about this. “Akira you can do this tomorrow, you should go home and sleep.” He said. I shook my head and continued walking. “I at least have to find out where I can possibly find him okay?” I asked. Morgana groaned and disappeared back into my bag as I walked, eventually I came to central street where I saw him, he was giving a speech with a few people listening as he talked. His voice was calm and confident but it still sounded kind. Morgana looked it him from my bag and then glanced at me. “Alright Akira, let’s go home. You know where you can find him now.” He said. 

I sighed and nodded. “Okay, fine. I’ll come back here some other time.” I said. With that I started heading back to Leblanc, glancing over my shoulder to see the man. If he knew that I was looking at him he never seemed to acknowledge it.

* * *

_ “YOU WERE A MISTAKE! YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!” _

_ “Why can’t you be normal Akira? There is nothing in the bathroom!” _

_ “I’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING REAL TO FEAR!” _

“Akira! Akira wake up! You’re having a nightmare!”

I gasped as I bolted up, wide awake and heart racing. I immediately curled in on myself and began to sob, unable to shake the images in my dream. I felt paws on my arm and I knew right away it was Morgana. “It’s okay Akira, you’re in Leblanc you’re okay. Try to breath.” He said. I gasped for air but found it hard to focus, I raised my wrist to my mouth and bit down on instinct. I felt Morgana’s paws on my arm and he started hitting my face with his paw with his claws in. “No, don’t do that Akira. You could hurt yourself.” He said.

I whimpered and grabbed my shirt sleeve, biting on that instead. I felt Morgana headbut me. “Akira please, try to breath. You have to breath.” He said. I gasped, trying so hard to do that. “C-can’t. T-too quiet… c-can’t focus.” I managed to say. I felt Morgana move his paws but after a bit I heard his voice but he wasn’t talking, he was singing. 

_ Look to the soft and misty skies, _

_ The moon is full and the wind is blowing, _

_ Now please love don’t you close your eyes, _

_ I see your fear is growing, _

I blinked away the tears and looked at Morgana, he had his eyes closed and was gently swaying as he sat in front of me.

_ You do not have to be afraid, _

_ Darling please be brave, _

_ There’s nothing out there quite like me, don’t you see? _

_ Not every monster’s scary, _

_ Sometimes they are on your side, _

_ I’ll leave the bad ones wary, _

_ I’ll slash and bite, they’ll run and hide, _

_ You don’t have to fear the dark, _

_ You’ve tamed the monster inside your heart, _

_ You don’t have to fear their might, _

_ ‘Cause I’ll be by your side ‘til morning light, _

I found it easier to breath now, Morgana’s soft voice helping to fill the void of the night.

_ The forest’s mellow and the, _

_ Stars are clear the night is full of wonder, _

_ Should any shadow threaten you, _

_ I’ll tear them all asunder, _

_ You do not have to wake in fear _

_ ‘Cause darling I am here _

_ Just put your hand inside of mine _

_ We’ll be fine _

Morgana put his paw in my hand and I squeezed it, I could hear him purring softly but it didn’t seem to interrupt his song.

_ Not every monster’s scary _

_ Sometimes they are on you’re side _

_ I’ll leave the bad ones wary _

_ I’ll slash and bite, they’ll run and hide _

_ You don’t have to fear the dark _

_ You’ve tamed the monster inside your heart _

_ You don’t have to fear their might _

_ ‘Cause I’ll be by your side ‘til morning light _

_ Even the darkest of nights end in sunlight! _

_ So I’ll do my best with the rest _

_ You’ll know we’ll be alright _

_ I’ll do my best with the rest so hush now close your eyes _

Morgana rubbed against my face and I laughed, hugging the cat. Feeling much better now and could breath much better now. I looked at the cat as he looked at me, purring softly. “Mona, what was that?” I asked. Morgana looked at me with a soft look in his blue eyes. “You were panicking, I need to do something so I just started to sing. It helped you calm down so I think it was worth it.” He said.

I smiled and ran a hand down his back and rubbed his ears. “Thank you Morgana, I’m not sure what would have happened if you weren’t here.” I said. Morgana purred and rubbed my cheek with his. “Think you can go back to sleep?” He asked. I shook my head. “I’m calmer now but I still need to calm down before going back to sleep.” I said. Morgana nodded and went over to my phone on the window seal, looking at it. “Hey, someone texted you.” He said.

I picked up my phone and looked at it, seeing a number I didn’t know. 

**Anonymous:** U ok?

**Anonymous:** No need 2 cry

I looked at Morgana and he shrugged so I began typing. 

**Akira:** I’m calmer now, who are you? How did you get my number?

**Anonymous:** Right, this must b sudden. 

**Akira:** You think?

**Anonymous:** I’m Futaba, Sojiro Sakura’s daughter.

I looked at Morgana and he flicked his tail. “I think it’s okay, Chef has mention her a few times after all.” He said. I nodded and looked at the phone. 

**Akira:** Boss has mentioned you to me a few times but he never said you were his daughter.

**Anonymous:** Yeah, well he adopted me after my mom died.

**Akira:** Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.

**Anonymous:** Thx, it’s okay honestly. U seem to talk to ur cat a lot.

**Akira:** Right, how did you know I was crying and stuff like that?

**Anonymous:** Don’t b mad if I tell u

**Akira:** Okay, fine.

**Anonymous:** I have the attic of Leblanc bugged.

**Akira:** Really???

**Anonymous: **I thought u said u wouldn’t get mad

**Akira:** I’m more worried than mad honestly, and surprised.

**Akira:** You’ve been listening in the whole time??

**Anonymous:** Yeah but if u’re worried about me telling the police u’re the Phantom Thieves there’s no need.

**Akira:** Are you saying you wouldn’t tell?

**Anonymous:** Yup, in fact later I want ur help with something. But 4 now how are u? U were crying pretty hard.

**Akira:** I’m calmer then when I first woke up, why are you so worried?

**Anonymous:** Sounded like u were pretty close to having a full blown panic attack.

**Akira:** I guess I was but Morgana calmed me down. What did you hear from him?

**Anonymous:** A whole lot of meowing but it sounded rather musical for some reason.

**Akira:** Yeah, why did you decide to text me?

**Anonymous:** Well I got really worried when I heard you having a nightmare as I’ve had plenty myself. Honestly it’s quite a step for me to reach out 2 u.

**Akira:** Well thanks for worrying about me I guess, it’s nice to know that you care even though you’ve never met me.

**Anonymous:** I’ve been listening since you got here, it’s almost like I do know you.

**Akira:** I’ve never met you so honestly I’m a little nervous and stuff.

**Anonymous:** That’s understandable, you should get to sleep. You have a long day tomorrow, you have a deadline to meet after all.

**Akira:** Right, thanks for talking with me Futaba.

**Anonymous:** Np

_ ~ _ ** _Anonymous_ ** _ changed her name to _ ** _Futaba_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Futaba_ ** _ changed _ ** _Akira_ ** _ ’s name to _ ** _Kitten_ ** _ ~ _

I snorted as I looked at Morgana who had curled up in my lap. I sighed and set my phone back in its place on the window seal and laid down. I ran a hand down Morgana’s back as he curled against my side, purring happily. I smiled and cuddled Morgana, letting my eyes close and sleep to pull me down.

**[Magician rank 4]**

**[Hermit arcana gained]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note, the song in the chapter is an edited version of a song by Madame Macabre called The monster under your bed. I edited it enough to fit the situation and who was singing it. (Please don't hate me Madame of you're reading this) If you liked this chapter or just this work in general leave a kudos or a comment with your thoughts, that's it for me for now, bye.


	22. Bank of Gluttony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going through the bank and something else might be happening ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE BITCH! Sorry for the delay, got a tad stuck on a part but I hope you like this. But I am alive and will continue to update this story, just don't expect when the next one will come. I promise to finish this story though.

_ Makoto’s POV _

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Joker_ ** _ has added  _ ** _Makoto Niijima_ ** _ to  _ ** _The Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Joker_ ** _ changed  _ ** _Makoto Niijima_ ** _ ’s nickname to  _ ** _Queen_ ** _ ~ _

**Joker:** Alright everyone, meet after school at Leblanc to talk about going to the Palace.

**Panther:** No Mementos trip this time?

**Joker:** We have four weeks to steal Kaneshiro’s heart so no, Mementos will have to wait. Until we can get that taken care of, Admin take note of any names that appear on the Phansite so we can deal with them after.

**Admin:** Roger that

**Queen:** Alright, what exactly is Mementos?

**Crow:** for now I’ll say that it’s a very big constantly changing Palace, I’ll get into more detail later when we have time to chat.

**Queen:** I’ll settle for that.

I set my phone down and looked at the teacher, I wasn’t going to get on to Akira for texting in class when it was something important. Kaneshiro was bugging me almost constantly, reminding me of the debt we owed him. I honestly hated that man and was so ready to steal his heart. I was snapped out of my thoughts when my phone buzzed, curious I looked at the messages.

_ ~group chat:  _ ** _Akira rehabilitation squad_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~  _ ** _Pirate Boi_ ** _ added  _ ** _Makoto Niijima_ ** _ to  _ ** _Akira rehabilitation squad_ ** _ ~ _

_ ~ _ ** _Pirate Boi_ ** _ changed  _ ** _Makoto Niijima_ ** _ ’s nickname to  _ ** _1 Fear_ ** _ ~ _

**Pirate Boi:** Welcome 2 this madness.

**1 Fear:** What is this?

**Rainbow Detective:** a group chat that Akira isn’t in for obvious reasons.

**1 Fear:** Is this really necessary?

**Miss Kitty:** Makoto, think about how Akira stuttered around you. Now think of how he reacts around adults. He was so happy when we won him stuffed animals at Done Town and hasn’t really known kindness before us.

**1 Fear:** Okay, point taken. But it is class time right now.

**Rainbow Detective:** Makoto makes a good point, get back to class everyone!

I chuckled and put my phone away and looked to the front again. I couldn’t wait to get out of school and head for the Palace.

* * *

I walked with Goro and Yusuke as we made our way to Leblanc, chatting idly with the two. “So why do we hold meetings at Leblanc?” I asked eventually. Goro shrugged. “Well we just kinda decided that was where we would go when we had a meeting because it’s an easily accessible place and it’s private. Plus Akira is very comfortable there so he doesn’t worry when he’s there.” He said. I tilted my head at this. “You make it sound like he worries all the time.” I said.

“Well, he does. Akira is always pretty nervous and doesn’t feel comfortable in open places, he told me he’s always been like this and he isn’t sure why. I think he suffers from anxiety maybe and the abuse made it worse but I have no idea if that’s the problem.” Goro said, fiddling with a necklace he held in his hand. Yusuke glanced at it but said nothing, something told me this had been happening for the past few days. Something about the necklace was familiar to me but I didn’t mention it, taking a hint from Yusuke to not bring it up.

We entered the cafe and I saw the man standing behind the counter. I figured this was Sojiro Sakura, Akira’s guardian. Goro waved at the man as we entered, he noticed us right away. “Hey kids, another hang out session? Who’s the new girl?” He asked. I stepped up and waved at him, smiling. “I’m Makoto Niijima, I’m Shujin’s student council president.” I said. Sakura’s eyes lit up right away. “Ah, is your sister Sae Niijima perhaps?” He asked. I nodded. “That’s correct Sakura-san.” I said.

“Your sister comes in here often for coffee, anyways it’s nice to meet you.” Sakura said. I nodded and we went up to the attic, I saw the blanket nailed up above the entrance to the attic and looked at Yusuke. “Did Akira do that?” I asked. Yusuke nodded. “Yeah, he told me it made him feel more comfortable to have a barrier between him and the rest of the cafe.” He said. I nodded and we entered the attic, the rest were already gathered with Akira sitting on his bed with Morgana laying in his lap purring. Despite him claiming to not be a cat he sure acted like one. 

I sat down on the couch with Ann and once Goro and Yusuke took their seats Akira sat up straighter and called the meeting to order. “Alright, we have no time to waste. Kaneshiro gave us four weeks to pay this debt so that’s how long we have to change his heart. We all saw that bank, it’s huge. Even with a map it’s gonna take at least a few days or a week to get close to the Treasure. So I say today we start going through the Palace and get as far as we can before leaving.” He said.

Goro nodded. “I agree, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can move onto another target.” He said. Ryuji stood up with a nod, reaching into the bag on his arm and pulling out two revolvers and tossing them to me. “Their models don't worry about it, if they look real in the Meta-verse then it becomes real.” He said as I caught the guns. I spun them in my hands and pointed them at everyone and I heard Mishima gulp. “I’m suddenly very scared.” He said. Morgana chuckled. “Anyone with a gun is scary, give them two and it doubles the scare factor.” He said.

I laughed and put the fake weapons in my bag and looked at them. “So shall we get going?” I asked. Akira nodded and stood up. “Let’s go, if Sojiro asks we’re going to Big Bang Burger.” He said. I nodded and we left the cafe, heading for the Palace to start the change of heart.

* * *

We looked at the bank, the door patched up with boards and tape. Goro hummed and looked at Akira. “How are we getting in?” He asked. Akira patted Morgana on the head and the cat didn’t even acknowledge it. “We’ll get inside, places like this always have another way in. Admin, scan the area for things in the environment.” He said. Mishima nodded and the sides of his mask lit up, soon it stopped and he pointed at a pig statue. “There, there’s something strange about that statue.” He said.

With that we got down from our high position on the fence we ran over to the statue. “Alright, lets see how we get in.” Akira said. With that we looked over the statue, it wasn’t long before Ryuji spoke up. “Hey, there’s scuff marks over here. The statue is moved repeatedly from this spot in this direction.” He said, pointing at the statue and then making a motion behind. 

So we all gathered around the statue and pushed it back, sure enough it slid back and revealed a tunnel. Akira was the first to hop down and we soon followed him, my scarf bellowing behind me. Akira caught Morgana when he jumped down and put him on the ground, the cat smiled at him and we went forward and looked through the opening. We saw the hall after the lobby and climbed out of the tunnel, looking around we saw that we were blocked off from the lobby.

“Alright, let’s find a way to open these doors back up and get back to the main lobby cause I have a feeling we’re gonna need to access it in order to get to the Treasure.” Akira said. So we went off to figure out how to get into the main lobby. I walked through the hallway to see what we could find, Mishima was on red alert for anything to use but so far it was hard to see anything notable. Akira looked at a room and poked his head in before pulling it out real quick and looking at us. “There’s a shadow in there. Maybe we can steal a keycard from it which will open up the doors.” He said.

I nodded. “That’s a good idea, they would have this and be allowed to have access to certain parts of the bank.” I said. We all took turns poking our heads in to check and sure enough there was one shadow inside the room all alone. I looked at my fellow thieves. “Think we can take it on?” I asked. When everyone nodded I got out my brass knuckles but then Akira looked at me. “I want you to play around with the chemical reactions. Last time the Fei seemed to make it more powerful so I want you to experiment with that again.” He said.

I nodded and we burst in, the shadow turned to look at us.  **“Well well, what do we have here.”** It said. Akira looked at him and crossed his arms. “We’re here for your keycard.” He said. The shadow growled at us.  **“I’ll just take care of you myself then before you become a true problem for the bank president.”** It’s said.

I summoned Johonna and Mishiima pulled out his chemicals and the glass sphere he would put it all in. He poured it all in and sealed the sphere before tossing it back to me, I shook it as the others kept the shadow busy until I pulled back and chucked it. “Fire in the whole!” I yelled. I used Fei on the glowing red orb. With that it was enveloped with light and….

* * *

“Note to self, don’t combine Nuclear attacks and fire chemical reactions in a small space.” Mishima said, whipping his face off from the soot. Goro licked his fingers and put out a piece of smothering hair on Akira. Ann dusted herself off as Morgana tried to right his fur. Ryuji was fixing Yusuke up, constanting pulling out bandages and meds from his bag to help him.

I held the keycard and looked at everyone as we recovered in a safe room. “Well at least we now know to not do that again.” I said. Akira nodded as he coughed. “Skull how is Fox?” He asked. Ryuji looked over from where he was stationed. “He’s doing better now, let it be known that fire and ice don’t mix.” He said.

“But lightning and ice seem to do pretty well.” Mishima whispered to me. Ann heard and giggled, Akira and Goro smiling knowingly as Morgana flicked his tail with a grin. If we could see Ryuji’s cheeks I’m sure they would have been red. Yusuke looked at everyone as he seemed to come out of the dazed state he had entered ever since we got out of there. “Leave Skull alone guys, he just cares a lot.” He said.

I smirked as I realized it was much more than that, I then looked at Akira. “How long are we going to rest here until we head back out?” I asked. Akira shrugged. “Until everyone has recovered enough to keep going, let’s give Fox a few more minutes.” He said. Yusuke stood up, leaning against Ryuji and holding his head. “I’m alright, let’s get going. We don’t have much time.” He said. Ryuji surprised me when he looked at Yusuke and practically threw him onto the nearby couch. “Nope, you’re not ready to go. Rest some more, it’s okay to take some time Fox. Hell if my leg slows me down no one here bitches about it.” He said.

Yusuke tried to get up but Morgana hopped onto his stomach and looked at him. “Skull is right, rest. We all need a little time to rest. And you’re the one here that’s weak to fire so you need it the most.” He said. Goro nodded and patted Yusuke on the shoulder. “Panther and I can go scout ahead if you’re so concerned about time. We were the ones least effected by the explosion.” He said. Ann nodded and stood up, redoing a zipper that had come undone at some point on her suit. “Yeah, I’m ready to go. Let’s do it.” She said.

With that the two left the room, pausing as Akira called over to them. “Come back if you guys run into any trouble okay?” He asked. Ann nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine!” She said.

* * *

Walking the halls with the Phantom Thieves was interesting, Akira lead the way most of the time with Mishima at his side constantly scanning for traps or for anything of interest. Morgana seemed to have sticky fingers and was constantly shoving anything he could into his pockets, where it went after we re-entered the real world I have no idea. 

Goro walked near Akira, watching out for him and making sure no one ambushed him. Ryuji and Yusuke walked close together, chatting quietly about random things from what I’ve heard. Ann wasn’t shy about walking near me. “It’s nice having another girl around, I was the only one for sooo long.” She said. I giggled and looked at the boys. “It must be tough hanging out with them sometimes.” I said.

Ann shrugged. “Not really, there’s a lot of things we do together and it’s really fun. If we keep gaining new members I think we'll have to move our crime show bing nights over to Crow and Fox’s apartment.” She said. I smiled and looked at her. “What have you watched so far?” I asked. Ann hummed and tapped her chin. “Just  _ Fridge _ and  _ Grimm _ so far, though Joker has been asking if we could watch Crow’s collection of some show called  _ Criminal Minds _ for a while now so we might watch it next.” She said.

I perked up at that. “I’ve heard of that show, it’s a series about getting into the mind of serial killers.” I said. Ann perked up. “Oh, that sounds pretty interesting. Maybe we should watch it next time.” She said. Goro looked at us from over his shoulder with a smile. “I have the whole series so we can watch it at my apartment.” He said. Akira looked at us from where he was crouched by a ledge. “I think I’ve found our way downstairs.” He said.

* * *

Sitting on top of the elevator waiting for it to move I watched the other thieves as they waited. Mishima fiddled with his notebook where he kept notes of everything, flipping through pages and making sure everything was in order. Ryuji and Yusuke leaned against each other and spoke to each other softly, muttering about anything and everything. Akira and Goro sat side by side, Morgana was perched in Akira’s lap and was more than happy to let the boy pet him as he listened to Goro rant about a recent case he was working on.

Ann sat down next to me and leaned in to whisper to me. “There’s a betting pool about when Skull and Fox will get together. It’s up to 5,000 yen now, want in?” She asked. I looked at her and she laughed. “Come on Queen, don’t tell me you don’t see how they act around each other? Come on? How much are you in for and when do you think they will get together?” She asked. I looked at the two and then at Ann. “I give them three missions.” I tell her.

I passed her 300 yen and she smiled and walked over to Mishima, giving it to him without the two boys in question seeing. I giggled and looked at the two, it seemed Ryuji was fiddling with something in his hands but I couldn’t quite see it. I didn’t think about it much as the elevator started moving at that point, it was show time.

* * *

Once the elevator stopped everyone followed Akira through the vent and into the main bank again. Akira looked around with a look that clearly said he was checking for signs of danger. After a few moments he hopped down onto the floor below, everyone else followed so I did too. However as I glanced around the group I saw Ryuji rub his leg and instantly knew something was up. “Skull do you need a break?” I asked.

Instantly all eyes were on him and Ryuji looked at me with a slight glare. “You really had to call me out huh?” He asked. Yusuke looked at him. “Skull do you need to sit down? You know none of us will mind.” He said. Ryuji looked at him. “We only have four weeks Fox, we can’t afford to take a break now we’re just getting started.” He said. Akira looked pained and I realized he was trying to figure out what to do and I came up with something, I had noticed that Yusuke would sometimes rub his arm after a hard swing. So with that in mind I looked at the two.

“Fox I bet your arm is pretty sore now huh?” I asked. Yusuke blinked and rubbed his arm. “Actually, yes.” He said. I nodded and looked at the two. “Then how about this, you guys both go to the safe room and rest while the rest of us continue forward, we can then meet up when you’re feeling better.” I said. Akira looked happy. “That’s a good idea Queen, so what do you guys say?” He asked, looking at the two and question. Ryuji looked like he would protest but Yusuke jumped in. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, let’s go Skull.” He said, looping his arm, the one he hadn’t been rubbing, around Ryuji and starting to walk towards the clearly distorted door of a safe room.

Ann looked at me and giggled. “Leaving them alone huh?” She asked. I huffed. “I just found a way to get us all what we wanted.” I said. Goro snorted. “If Skull got what he wanted he would still be here right now. That’s just how he is.” He said. Akira walked forward. “Well let’s get going now, we have so little time and we need to get through as much as we can.” He said. I nodded and we began to follow Akira down the hall.

* * *

_ Yusuke’s POV _

Ryuji was as stubborn as an ox sometimes because he sometimes needed to be in order to be taken seriously and to just plain survive. If he showed weakness then everyone would dog pile on him in a heartbeat or throw him to the ground without a second thought. Ryuji didn’t suffer as much pain under Kamoshida as Akira has living with his parents but the time clearly didn’t do him any favors.

I opened the door to the safe room and plopped Ryuji down on the couch before sitting down too. “Relax Skull, not like they wouldn’t have things handled if we take a ten minute break.” I said. Ryuji sighed and crossed one of his legs, rubbing the opposite leg. I smiled at him and then rubbed my arm, it really was sore like Makoto had guessed. With every swing of my katanta it grew more sore but the other day I had gone to Mementos without the others and it didn’t feel this way. Of course I remembered what Ryuji said when it was first discovered that I was having trouble with it.

“My arm is pretty sore right now.” I said, looking at Ryuji. The blonde nodded and looked at me. “Yeah, you’ll have days when it’s okay and days when it’s not.” He said. I nodded and held out my other hand, forming some ice in it and pressing it to my arm to try and help. Ryuji immediately perked up and stood, walking over to his bag and starting to pull some things out. Eventually he pulled out a gel pad and held it in his hands, I watched as Ryuji started using very careful jolts of electricity on it until he nodded and walked over to me with it. I got what he was doing right away and removed the hand with the ice and Ryuji replaced it with the gel pack right after, immediately it started to feel better as the heat from the pack soothed the tense muscles in my arm.

“Genis, I hadn’t even thought of that.” I said. Ryuji smiled and nodded. “Joker taught me this trick, figured a gel pack would work instead of a bag full of rice.” He said. I smiled at him and of course Goemon piped up then.  **‘Put your hand on his, do it.’** He said. This time I followed his advice and placed my hand on Ryuji’s, smiling at the blonde. “Thank you.” I said. After a moment Ryuji pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck. “Y-yeah, no problem. Just remembering what Joker told me.” He said. I frowned as Ryuji returned to sitting on the couch and I put my hand on the gel pack, he had done a good job heating it up using his Persona. Goemon wasn’t having any of my sulting.  **‘Say something! You two are alone, you have the perfect chance to tell him how you feel!’** He said.

I sighed and looked away from Ryuji so I could talk to Goemon more in private.  _ ‘I can’t, what do I even say? I don’t know if he even likes boys and if he does would he even like me? I’m weird. I know that he would even want to be with me?’ _ I asked. Before Goemon could respond however Ryuji spoke up. “Um, Fox…” He muttered. I admit I probably whipped around very fast but Ryuji was talking to me and he was important. The blonde was holding something in his hand and after a minute he groaned and held out his hand. “I’m not good with words.” He said. I held my hand under his and he dropped something into it.

I examined it and found it was a necklace, the charm hanging from it was a silver nine tailed fox with small rubies for eyes. I smiled as I brought the charm closer to me. “It’s lovely Skull.” I said. That’s when I noticed the small tag hanging from it, Ryuji knew I had issues with money and with anything he gives me he makes a point to remove the price tag, food items or not, so seeing this made me blink. I grabbed it and looked at the writing on it, I was surprised with what I read as in small but clearly Ryuji handwriting was  ** _I like u_ ** , I flipped to read the back and saw the same handwriting spelling out  ** _And not in a friend way_ ** . 

I looked at Ryuji and the boy groaned. “If you don’t feel the same way I get it, I can always return it.” He said. I smiled and clutched the necklace to my chest, looking at him and I knew what I had to do. I knew it was dangerous to say our real names but I couldn’t help but need to speak. “Ryuji…” I muttered. Ryuji’s head whipped around to me and I could no longer contain myself as I launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. After I pushed up both mine and his mask I kissed him on the lips, the sparks that flew just made everything feel so right and in my head Goemon was cheering. When I pulled away Ryuji was blushing and I knew I was too with how hot my face felt.

Ryuji laughed and pulled me in for another kiss which I happily returned. When we were both running out of breath we pulled away and Ryuji smiled at me. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.” He said. I laughed and brushed my nose with his. “I’ve probably been wanting to do it longer though. Your spirit is intoxicating and just pulled me in. I don’t know why you want to even be with me.” I said. Ryuji smiled and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re amazing Yusuke, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise okay? That’s what I love about you.” He said. I grinned and hugged him tighter, this boy would probably be the end of me but I could care less because it was a great feeling to be falling in love.

I pulled away and put on the necklace, letting it rest over my heart. Ryuji smiled and tucked the charm under my shirt. “If Joker sees it he’ll know, he was with me when I bought it.” He said. I raised an eyebrow at him. “What you don’t want him to know?” I asked. Ryuji looked at me. “If he finds out now he’ll be endlessly telling me ‘I told you so’ and I don’t want to deal with that right now.” He said. I laughed, of course Akira would do that, he seems to know everything when it comes to knowing things about our feelings. One morning I was feeling down and when we met up Akira shoved an entire bowl of curry at me and demanded I eat. He seemed to notice that eating made me feel better sometimes.

“Okay but we’ll tell them at some point right?” I asked. Ryuji nodded. “Of course but maybe after we steal the Treasure, like at the celebration party.” He said. I smiled at this. “Okay, I like that idea.” I said. Ryuji smiled and then adjusted his leg, I realized I might be putting pressure on it so I moved so I wasn’t on it and he smiled. “I think I’m ready to rejoin the others now.” He said. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you sure?” I asked. After he nodded I got up and watched him stand, he didn’t put his hand on his leg and he put his full weight on it so I deemed that he was really ready to go. “Okay, lets go.” I said. He smiled and he followed me as I exited the safe room and we started to look for the others.

* * *

_ Akira’s POV _

I knew right away that something had changed with Ryuji and Yusuke’s relationship but I didn’t say anything. They were standing closer together and when they thought I wasn’t looking I saw Yusuke grab Ryuji’s hand, they had definitely gotten together. But I didn’t call them out on it and just continued like I saw nothing. Now entering an elevator everyone was ready for a little break while we got to our destination so I looked at Makoto. “So how do you like being in the Phantom Thieves Queen?” I asked. Makoto tapped her chin and then smiled at me. “Honestly it’s amazing Joker, you’re a natural leader you know that right?” She asked.

I chuckled and rubbed my neck. “Honestly I wouldn’t be the leader if Crow hadn’t picked me and everyone agreed with him.” I said. Ryuji looked at me. “Because in the Metaverse you’re fucking terrifing. Queen, a piece of advice,  _ never _ disobey a Joker order. We still don’t know all he’s capable of.” He said. Makoto laughed and I shot Ryuji a halfhearted glare while Goro looked at him. “Watch your language Skull.” He said. We all laughed at this point because it was impossible to get Ryuji to stop cussing but Goro still felt the need to say that because I was here. As the elevator doors opened I saw a staircase and walked over to the railing, in front of another elevator was Shadow Kaneshiro and a shadow and my guess was that the Treasure laid just behind that elevator.

“Everybody ready?” I asked, looking back at my team. Of course at this point they had their weapons drawn, I nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I said, drawing my dagger. We then began to walk down the stairs, it didn’t take long for Shadow Kaneshiro to notice us.  **“Y-you bastards…. How did you get this far!? What about my security!?” ** He said. I smiled, plucking a piece of plastic out of my boot. “You mean the cameras? Those were easy to take care of and great to take out my anger on, I’m gonna have to remember that in the future.” I said.

“Yeah once we got past ‘em it was too easy to knock ‘em out for good.” Ryuji said. Shadow Kaneshiro turned to the shadow standing in front of him and in between him and us.  **“H-hey, finish off these vermin here! Keep them away from the elevator at all costs!”** He said. The shadow transformed into a weird statue looking thing and I knew we were in battle. Now I have to admit I was a bit tired of fighting, we all were since we’ve been at this for hours trying to clear as much as we could so we can get this done with and seeing a new enemy we had to fight? Sure the cameras were a good thing to take my anger out on but there was way more pent up and I was just getting real pissed off.

And then of course two more shadows show up to give the thing a hand. One of them boosted the big guy’s attack and even with Mishima backing us up this would be a long fight. Makoto looked at me and I guess she could tell I was getting pissed because she didn’t say anything and just waited for me to tell her what she should probably do. “Use Mafrei if they are weak to it, they're going down.” I said. She nodded and Johanna appeared, soon all three enemies were surrounded by light and only one went down. The others seemed to know my line of thinking and soon ice and then lightning followed, I was happy when one of the enemies went down with the lightning, now knowing two weaknesses this should have been an easy fight but it wasn’t. 

Ann, Morgana, and Mishima were being run ragged trying to keep up and Goro was doing his best to keep their health down while we got ready for another attack. Of course I was getting more pissed by the minute to the point I didn’t know I could get this mad and finally I couldn’t take it anymore and screamed. I thought I heard something rip and maybe something crack but I didn’t care because I was  _ so fucking pissed _ . I launched myself at the shadows and just started swinging, I didn’t stop until Goro was in front of me. “Akira stop! Their dead, their dead you can stop.” He said. I was panting, I was still pretty mad but not as mad as before and seeing my best friend/crush made the rest start to fade. I looked back at the group and saw that most of them were pale in the face, after a bit Ryuji spoke. “Note to self, do  ** _not_ ** piss off Joker or there will be blood.” He said. 

I noticed that my dagger felt heavy in my hand so I looked at it but I didn’t see my dagger, in my hand was a full blown chainsaw whirling and screaming with bits of shadow still caught in the chain. I yelped and dropped it, finally noticing my clothes, torn and ripped and not the usual clean pristine they usually were. I reached up and touched my mask, I felt cracks all over it. “What the hell? Why do I look like  _ this _ ?!” I asked. Morgana frowned. “It must be your rage, you usually do a pretty good job keeping it in. You did say you have some anger management problems, this is you just unhinged and not holding back your anger.” He said. 

“It’s still fucking terrifing, you went after them like a wild animal man.” Ryuji said. I looked at Goro, at least he looked unbothered, I huffed. “Guess you got the chance to snap me out of it for a change.” I said. Goro chuckled and then looked back to a safe room. “I think that’s it for today, let’s rest up and then go home.” He said. I sighed but nodded, honestly I was tired. By the time we got to the safe room my clothes had repaired themselves and my mask no longer had cracks in it. As I flopped down on a couch Ryuji hummed. “I wonder if you have another Persona for when you get like that, I mean it just seems like that.” He said. I shrugged. “Let’s just rest and then go home.” I said. He nodded and sat down next to Yusuke, were they trying to hide their relationship or not? Anyways I was okay with them in case they were worried, after all I do have a crush on my best friend.

* * *

**Futaba:** So u basically unleashed u’re secret move and destroyed the enemies? Cool

**Kitten:** It isn’t okay, what if that happens again?

**Futaba:** Then u focus it where it should go, simple

**Kitten:** Video game logic shouldn’t be a factor here

**Futaba:** boy u basically r in a video game

**Kitten:** excuse me?

**Futaba:** Nothing, anyways y don’t u talk to me without me talking 2 u first?

**Kitten:** I’m an anxious boy okay? I don’t like talking without prompting. 

**Futaba:** Gotta fix it somehow.

**Kittenz: ** Yeah sure, like that will be fixed in a year.

**Futaba:** Wanna talk about something else?

**Kitten:** Very much, so I’m pretty sure Ryuji and Yusuke got together.

**Futaba:** Really? So the 2 gayest guys finally stopped dancing around each other and kissed?

**Kitten:** I don’t know if they kissed, they were alone when they got together I’m pretty sure. I also saw no sign of that.

**Futaba:** Still for sure they’re dating now.

**Kitten:** Oh yeah they tried to hide it but the two of them can’t keep their hands off each other, kept holding hands when they thought I wasn’t looking. 

**Futaba:** U can bet the 2 of them r gonna take every chance they get to be alone again.

**Kitten:** Probably, I should get to sleep now.

**Futaba: ** Alright, good night Akira.

**Kitten:** Night

* * *

“Alright how are we doing today? Think you might go chainsaw massacre again?” Ryuji asked as we walked towards the elevator. I looked at him. “Don’t worry I won’t, I’m completely calm today.” I said. However everyone looked at me when I screeched after stubbing my toe on the door frame. I sighed and looked at them. “I’m good, I’m good. Still calm.” I said. I entered the elevator and Makoto looked at me. “You should take some anger management classes.” She said she didn’t suggest it. It was clear to me she thought it would be best if I took an anger management class.

“I’ve handled it so far. But honestly that might be a good idea.” I said. Makoto smiled and we looked out and saw the room below. Goro blinked. “Woah.” He said. I honestly didn’t blame him as the vault under us was quite impressive and I was getting a headache just thinking about searching all of them for the Treasure.

“It looks like a tumble mechanism, you know like in a lock.” Ryuji said. Morgana looked at it and nodded. “I agree, that means we’ll have to figure out how to open it. So we aren’t searching for days.” He said. I hummed, looking at the mechanism while we were still above it. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out once we get down there.” I said. Once the elevator opened we walked out and my foot hit something, of course I bent down and picked up the thing which was a notebook, there were several pages missing. I opened it and read what it said. “R=C=0 I=1 H=2…. okay what does this mean?” I asked. Goro shrugged. “It could be a code.” He said. 

“Yeah, you guys should look at this.” Ryuji called. We walked over to him where he was standing in front of a machine which looked kinda like an ATM but not exactly and there were numbers and also the word  **RICH** , I recognized the letters immediately. “Rich, R I C H. The letters in this notebook.” I said. Ryuji nodded and looked at me. “So what's the code?” He asked. I looked at the book and began to sort out the code. “0102, how basic.” I said, muttering the last part to myself. Ryuji entered it and the valts started to move until there was a clear path forward. Ryuji smiled. “Numbers, that’s easy to figure out.” He said. 

That’s when we heard the voice, Kaneshiro’s voice.  **“Money… I need more money… I must grow richer! As long as I’m rich, anything will be possible.”** He said. I frowned and looked at the team. “Are these… his thoughts?” I asked. Morgana shrugged. “It could be the voice of his heart, all that really means is all he thinks about really is money.” He said. I sighed but looked at the others. “Okay gang, let’s move forward.” I said. With that we walked to the next section of the vault and didn’t see a place to enter the code right away but a door to the left. I sighed. “Guess that means we’re going on a hunt for it.” I said.

* * *

We finally got to the next entry and I looked at the info we had which included another page of the notebook we found. Yusuke was looking at the machine. “Okay this one says  **REAP** , honestly how rotten can this man be?” He said. I shrugged and looked at our stuff, decoding it pretty fast. “0931.” I said. Yusuke entered the code and we heard something moving above us, the vault had moved again.

Like last time we heard Shadow Kaneshiro talking.  **“Tch… This isn’t anywhere near your quota for this month. Don’t gimme your excuses. Just go reap every last penny! I’ll make you understand if you don’t get it… People who can’t earn money are worthless to me!”** He said. Ryuji looked at us. “So I have a basic understanding of what a quota is, it’s like a standard right?” He asked. Makoto looked at him. “Kinda like that, it’s what you're expected to produce in a certain time frame.” She said. Ryuji nodded. “Thanks, I wasn’t sure and just wanted to make sure I got it right.” He said. Makoto nodded and Goro looked at me. “Guess we should head up now and work on the next code.” He said. I nodded. “Right, let’s move.” I said.

* * *

With two more pages Makoto looked at the entry system. “Okay we have  **HUGE** this time.” She said. I looked over what we had and nodded. “Go with 2319.” I said. Makoto nodded and input it, we heard the same sound from before meaning the vault had moved again and shortly after Shadow Kaneshiro started talking.  **“This isn’t enough… I need to have a huge presence! I’m done having other people walk all over me… It’s my turn now…”** He said. 

“This man truly is unredeemable.” Yusuke said. Ryuji looked at him. “Even if he was he probably wouldn’t be worth that much.” He said. Everyone looked at him before busting out laughing, it was a dumb joke yes but the broke the tenion that has slowly been building since we began this leg of the mission and honestly sometimes you need a dumb joke. After Mishima was done rolling around on the floor he looked at us. “Let’s head back to the vault now.” He said. I nodded and we started to make our way back to the surface. 

* * *

We all stared at the shadow protecting the next entry device and I felt my eye twitch. We’ve been fighting shadows left and right to get the pages and the entry devices themselves and honestly I was getting pretty sick of it. Makoto broke me out of my thoughts. “Joker are you getting mad?” She asked very gently. I gritted my teeth and my eye twitched again. “Maybe, yeah, a little bit. It’s fine.” I said. Makoto looked at me and then smiled. “It is okay to get mad. Hell if you can get rid of it now this would go a lot faster.” She said. I looked at the shadow and thought, was I mad enough for that? Of course the answer was yes, yes I was. And that’s all I need before launching at the shadow.

“Don’t break the machine!” Goro called after me. I shot him a thumbs up as my dagger turned into a chainsaw and I did what Futaba had suggested, focused my anger where it should be, on the enemy.

* * *

There was a reason the shadow was protecting the machine, it had no code word, just two buttons going right and left, of course Goro loved puzzles so we let him press the buttons and let him figure out the correct way to get the next two vaults lined up. This didn’t take him very long and it gave me the time to calm down so I was out of what everyone was calling ‘Chainsaw mode’ and was therefore ready to move on with a level head. Of course that meant going and finding another pin. But I still had a level head as we descended for it.

* * *

Ann looked at the machine as I held the final two pages of the journal. She hummed. “ **GOLD** huh, pretty straight forward.” She said. I looked at our notes and it took me a minute to figure out the code since now we had calculations to do. “Okay it’s 1841.” I said. Ann entered the numbers and we all smiled as we heard the vaults moving up above, and after a minute of course Kaneshiro’s voice sounded along with a snicker.  **“This gold sheen… This… This is the fruit of all my hard labor! With this much, I will be invincible! Omnipotent! I’ve changed… I’m no longer the person I used to be…”** He said. 

“‘Used to be’? What could have happened that made him so distorted?” Mishima asked. Morgana shrugged. “Anything can distort a person, for example Joker’s rage and the abuse he’s suffered could easily give way to a Palace but this also applies to Skull and how he sees himself.” He said. Ryuji blinked. “Um, those Palaces wouldn’t exactly be healthy would they?” He asked. Morgana nodded. “Yeah, in both of your cases stealing the Treasure would be more like healing your hearts then stealing them. You would both see that something is wrong and it would help you start to heal, we haven’t found a Palace like that yet though.” He said. 

“Let’s get back to the surface, I think we just about have this wrapped up.” Goro said. I nodded, this topic made me a tad uncomfortable.

* * *

Once we got back up there was an elevator in the center of all the vaults and I sighed, a nice quiet elevator ride would help me with the anger just barely simmering under the surface. Sitting in the elevator with Morgana in my lap and Goro at my side I felt a peace, I was surrounded by people I trusted and that was honestly all I needed to feel safe which Makoto seemed to pick up on. “You’re very relaxed Joker, I’m glad to see that.” She said. I smiled at her as I patted Morgana’s head. “Yeah, as long as I’m surrounded by people I trust I feel safe. Usually in an unfamiliar environment I worry but I don’t feel that way with all of you around.” I said. Of course my words set off a train reaction as everyone went ‘Aw’ and piled on a hug that Goro got caught in. 

“Nope! I’m out, today is not a good day for touching.” Goro said, wiggling his way out before shaking himself off. Everyone laughed but with our group no one tried to pull him back in which was good. Once the elevator stopped we all got out and looked at the room we came to, inside was the Treasure, floating in the air like it should. Makoto looked at it. “I’m guessing this is where the calling card comes in.” She said. I nodded and looked back at the elevator. “We’ve got our route, let’s head home and talk about the card tomorrow.” I said. Everyone nodded and with that we left the Palace.

* * *

**Futaba:** U did great today, I wouldn’t listen tomorrow when you talk about the calling card, I want it to be a surprise. 

**Kitten:** Thanks, this one will take some doing.

**Futaba:** I believe in you, now go kick that shadow’s ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked leave a kudos or comment your thoughts, hearing what ya'll have to say reassures me that I'm not just screaming into the void.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think, leave a kudos if you liked!


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